Swedish wave energy technology developer Novige AB has received funding from the Swedish Energy Agency for its NoviOcean wave energy converter concept.
Novige got a budget of 5.6 MSEK (USD 652,201) approved by the Swedish Energy Agency, where 1.35 MSEK (USD 157,263) will be provided by the company. Novige said that 1.1 MSEK (USD 128,140) woud go to Uppsala and KTH University for further research and work into various aspects of the novel concept.
Novige's NoviOcean is a floating non-resonant point-absorber wave energy converter (WEC) that extracts energy from the vertical motion (heave) of the waves. The innovative elongated rectangular float is designed in a way that resembles the shape of a wave.
Presently the development is at Technology Readiness Level 5/6 , the unit having been prototype tested in both wave tank and offshore in its basic version, scale 1:5. The funding will provide means for further fine-tuning of the float and PTO/machinery, to increase effectiveness and prolong lifetime for various components.
According to the technology description on the European Commission's website, NoviOcean's Power Take-Off system combines a highly efficient water turbine, and a hydraulic cylinder to pump high-pressure water at high velocity towards the turbine.
"The design offers the option to face the wave-front by its short side during harsh conditions, which gives NoviOcean exceptional storm-survivability as well as ensuring all-day-round electricity production. The design also ensures a much larger active wetted area of four to ten times more than a typical round buoy, resulting in a much higher energy capture potential compared to existing wave energy concepts. The float can also be easily manufactured in local shipyards using readily available materials, at a weight that is substantially lower than the competitors," the description reads.
In a statement on Monday, Jan Skjoldhammer, CEO and founder of Novige AB said: "To be able to stay below 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius of global warming, it is crucial to also utilize the enormous potential of the oceans very soon, not in two decades from now. Therefore, we need to move fast, and NoviOcean has an unusual potential to succeed in this; Funding being crucial to move forward quickly."