Erandio, 4 August, 2016 – The first wave energy collector designed in the Basque Country is being built at Navacel’s installations in Erandio. The project has the backing of Ente Vasco de la Energía and operating tests will begin in September at the Bimep marine testing site.
The Basque Minister for Economic Development and Competitiveness, Arantxa Tapia, this morning visited the installations of Navacel, where the first wave energy collector to designed and built In the Basque Country has been under construction for the last few weeks. This prototype has the backing of the Basque energy agency, Ente Vasco de la Energía and is being developed by Oceantec Energy, a Basque company joint-owned by Iberdrola and Tecnalia for developing marine energy.
Accompanying Ms Tapia on the visit were the junior minister for industry Javier Zarraonandia, the managing director of Ente Vasco de la Energía, Pilar Urruticoechea and the chairman of Navacel, Emilio Celorio, as well as senior executives from Oceantec.
Wave energy collector.
The collector being built with Basque technology consists of three steel components which, once assembled at Navacel, will take the form of a vertical buoy housing mechanical and electrical equipment capable of generating energy through the movement of the waves.
Known as MARMOK A-5, this is a low-capacity device, 42 metres in length and 5 metres in diameter. It will weigh 80 tonnes. The generating system comprises two turbines located in the upper part of the device with a rated capacity of 30 kW. Oceantec will test this preliminary design in the sea before starting the pre-commercial phase with installation of a high-capacity version. The collector is almost entirely submerged in the sea, except for the floating head. It will generate energy using OWC (oscillating water column) technology. The same technology is already being used to produce electricity at the Mutriku wave energy plant (located in the breakwater of the harbour), but here it has been adapted for use in an offshore buoy capable of harnessing wave energy. A column of water is created inside the central structure of the buoy which is driven like a piston by the to-and-fro movement of the waves, compressing and decompressing the air in a chamber at the top. The air is expelled out the top where it is harnessed by one or more turbines, always rotating in the same direction, which in turn drive an electricity generator.
One of the most important components will be the turbine, which has been developed by Oceantec specifically for this collector. During spring 2016 it has been tested at the Mutriku Wave Energy Plant as a preliminary step before offshore installation. These onshore tests have provided reliable data on performance and generating capacity which will be used to fine-tune the device at the final location in the marine buoy.
Starting after the summer, marine testing will continue for one year at Bimep, a testing infrastructure located off Armintza in a special area closed off to maritime traffic. The electricity generated will be taken up to the grid via underwater cables.
Energy Strategy
A commitment to renewable energy and the creation of new manufacturing industries in this area is one of the pillars of the Basque Government’s recently-published energy strategy to 2030. The Basque Country plans to take advantage of future energy challenges to build a cleaner and more sustainable supply, while at the same time creating a new hub of knowledge, wealth and industrial generation in fields of great potential growth. The sea offers immense potential for energy generation, and a knowledge of the environment will be essential in positioning the region at the forefront of this fledgling industry.
With its sights set on developing the social and economic fabric to optimise energy consumption, the objective is for renewable energy to play a more important role. The target is for 19% of all electricity consumed in the Basque Country to come from renewable sources by 2030, with 21% of total energy demand coming from this source.
