The largest wave power plant in the world is being built off the coast of Scotland
Irish company Ocean Energy has built the world’s largest wave generator. A gigantic wave power plant is now being built on the Scottish Orkney Islands.
In addition to solar and wind power, another sustainable method of generating energy is becoming increasingly important: wave power. Because wave power plants actually always produce electricity. The sea offers a continuous current.
The European Union has also recognized the potential of the technology and is now funding an ambitious project. the We’re talking about WEDUSEA. What initially sounds like a tongue twister is a cooperation between 14 partners from all over Europe. Meanwhile, project manager is the Irish company OceanEnergy.
Funding comes from the European program Horizon Europe and the British authority Innovate UK. Against this background, the world’s largest wave power plant is to be built.
To the largest wave power plant in three phases
The principle is based on previous prototypes. There is a certain amount of air within a container. If a wave pushes water into the container, it is pushed through a small turbine and generates electricity via a generator. The huge system with the name OE35 should be able to achieve up to one megawatt.
Those responsible divided the project into three different phases. In the first phase, OceanEnergy designs the system according to the requirements of the subsequent test environment. The wave power plant will then go into service and supply energy for the next two years. If everything goes according to plan, nothing stands in the way of commercialization.
By 2030, wave power is expected to generate up to one gigawatt
Such wave power plants should in turn generate around one gigawatt by 2030 and contribute to the security of supply of all European countries. The large-scale project also has another decisive advantage, because you can continue experimenting with the technology during the test phase. This reduces the price in the long term and enables mass production.
Because waves are and will continue to be one of the most valuable sources of energy with the highest availability on the planet. Especially in the context of climate change and the Ukraine war, we would probably be well advised to invest more money in the technology in order to be climate neutral one day.
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