Since ocean energy is not yet developed on the market scale, the team has investigated several ways to achieve economic affordability together with a high energy yield. In particular, the integration of energy devices in the harbor infrastructure has been one of the most effective ways to cut the investment costs for wave energy converters. Moreover, the team has been involved in a feasibility study regarding the possibility to install a mooring system for big ships which are integrated with renewable energy resources, such as solar and wind.
The team proposes to analyze the availability of renewable energy sources with modeling techniques and an on-field measurement instrument (weather station, floating or fixed mast, etc.).
Based on these activities, it is important to elaborate preliminary techno-economic feasibility analysis that takes into consideration renewable energy systems plants and storage plants.
In parallel, it is important to involve in an open discussion all the main stakeholders, like local administration, protected areas administration, touristic operators, economic operators, citizens, and soo on, to have a comprehensive understanding of the context in which blue energy projects are planned.
The objective is to define a strategic plan for:
- Defining future energy scenarios
- Design development and definition of the optimal Wave Energy Converters (WEC) device
- Evaluating risks and vulnerabilities
- Defining mitigation actions
In particular, the team has all the knowledge and skills necessary to go from preliminary design to installation, that is:
- Seabed characteristics evaluation to choose the most
suitable mooring type
- Bathymetric trend analysis to identify the mostly flat area
- Intervisibility analysis to assess the possible visual impact of the device
- Wave and wind detailed assessment through numerical models able to reproduce the propagation of the waves and the wind
- Wave and wind statistical analysis to identify the main project parameters
- Choice of the most appropriate WEC and then optimization of the chosen device, to adapt its shape and its operation to the wave characteristics
At the same time, the aspect related to the choice of material is taken into consideration, in particular materials with the following characteristics are preferred:
- Short supply chain
- Low environmental impact
- Possibility of disassembly, reuse, and recycling
- Resistance to aggressive materials
Two main ideas have been identified to be appropriate to address the challenge:
- Fixed Reference (FreePA)
- Solar photovoltaic and Oscillating Water Column (SPOWC)
The Fix-Referenced Point Absorber (FReePa) is a point absorber directly installed on infrastructure already available in harbors areas.
The device extracts energy from the wave power using
floaters that moves up and down accordingly with the wave motion. The floaters
are equally spaced and oriented with the dominant wave direction, they are
connected to the infrastructures through rigid arms which transmit the
mechanical power to the power take-off (PTO) system, converting the mechanical
energy into electricity.