To support the full decarbonization of our power supply, we need to exploit multiple renewable energy sources, and, according to the International Energy Agency, wave energy could satisfy 10% of our global energy needs by 2050.
mWave™, Bombora’s breakthrough patented wave technology, takes a uniquely simple approach to generating marine megawatts. mWave is the brainchild of two entrepreneurial engineers, brothers Glen and Shawn Ryan and led to the founding of Bombora in 2012, in Australia, before the company relocated to Europe in 2017.
mWave Technology: A New Perspective
Uniquely, the mWave system sits 10 meters below the ocean surface, where it can harness as much as 80% of a wave’s energy using the underwater pressure fluctuations caused by the consistent wave motion overhead.
mWave uses a series of air-filled cell modules that are covered by a rubber membrane and attached to an anchored structure. As waves pass above, they apply pressure to the membrane and force air into a duct where it is channelled through a unidirectional energy-generating turbine. The air then passes through a return duct to refill the cell modules ready for the next wave. The electricity produced is transferred to shore via a subsea electrical cable.
The system’s modular design simplifies servicing, keeps maintenance costs at a minimum, and facilitates the scaling up of the mWave power rating, a critical factor to bringing down the cost of energy. mWave can be either fixed to the seabed or integrated into a floating platform structure.
Tackling the Decarbonization Challenge: For island nations seeking to decarbonize, mWave not only presents a cost-effective alternative to diesel power generation but ensures that infrastructure remains out of sight and at a depth that poses no obstruction to recreational vessels.
Bombora is currently assembling a full scale fixed 1.5MW mWave demonstration project in Pembrokeshire, UK due to be installed and commissioned in early 2021. At the same time, the company is progressing a 3.0MW fixed wave park project off the coast of Lanzarote, Spain, a community currently highly dependent on diesel power generation.
Deeper Energy Transition Possibilities
As Oil and Gas operators face up to similar decarbonization pressures, floating mWave platforms alongside offshore platforms could help transition operations from liquid fuel to clean renewable energy. Bombora is currently working in partnership with a global EPC contractor to refine this techno-economic proposition.
Utility Scale Opportunity
Large scale wave farms, fixed and/or floating, become an increasingly attractive prospect for the larger utility market as volumes increase and costs come down. There is also the prospect of deployment further offshore, in deeper waters, where major utility projects could exploit the more powerful, consistent wave resources.
Offshore energy developers can also integrate wave platforms to their existing assets to help drive down the cost of overall energy production.
Bombora is currently working with the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult’s Marine Energy Centre of Excellence (MEECE) to define the optimum floating platform configuration for mWave and corresponding project cost model.
This story was originally featured in ON&T’s September 2020 issue. Click here to read more.
