From Cosmos (19/2/24)…
Where are we at with wave power?
On January 10, 2021, a strange structure appeared in the shallow waters off Grassy Harbour on the south-eastern coast of King Island in Bass Strait. Roughly the size of a two-storey house and comprised of thick, angular concrete with steel flotation pontoons, it resembled a large brutalist sculpture. But it wasn’t an artwork; in fact, it was a power generator.
Developed by Melbourne company Wave Swell Energy, the UniWave200 was being trialled to see if it was able to generate power from the waves that had been whipped up by the howling winds over the Southern Ocean. Its technology was based on the concept of an oscillating water column which essentially mimics a naturally-formed blowhole: as waves enter the open chamber beneath the waterline, they force air upwards to the turbine at the top, which then generates power.
Six months after it was installed, the $12 million UniWave200 did indeed start generating electricity, which was delivered to the local Hydro Tasmania grid via a subsea cable. It continued doing so until the trial concluded in August 2022. Six months later, the unit was decommissioned.
