The project is essential for the future rollout of CorPower Ocean’s wave energy arrays, with the CorPower UMACK anchors providing the foundation for large-scale electricity generation from ocean waves. Wave energy remains available when wind and solar levels drop, therefore making a direct contribution to scaling and stabilizing the renewable energy mix offshore, allowing continuity of offshore green power development and production. The novel anchoring solution and installation via vibro hammer represents a step change in Levelized Cost of Energy (LCoE) for offshore foundations for wave, floating offshore wind, and other floating structures projects around the globe.
Optimization of the UMACK anchor
The VibroDrive+ initiative brings together Dieseko Group’s expertise in deep foundations and vibratory technology with CorPower Ocean’s pioneering work in wave energy systems. The collaboration focuses on further optimizing CorPower Ocean’s UMACK anchor, a universal anchor system designed for marine energy, floating wind, and other offshore applications. Through the integration of Dieseko’s high-performance vibro hammer solutions, the project aims to streamline anchor installation, minimize environmental impact, and achieve the lowest possible LCoE.
Laboratory Testing
Research activities will commence on December 1st at the IWES Fraunhofer Institute in Hannover, where the project team will conduct advanced controlled laboratory testing involving several rounds of UMACK anchor installation and both static and cyclic load testing. These trials will further confirm how vibratory techniques can enhance both the geotechnical performance and installation predictability of the UMACK anchor under diverse seabed conditions.
LCoE Reduction
This project will further improve the existing UMACK anchor technology offering and allow the consortium to build on cutting edge installation methods using Vibro hammer technology. “The UMACK pile anchor has been proven at full scale in Aguçadoura providing station keeping to the CorPower C4 Wave Energy Converter since 2021,” said VibroDrive+ Project Manager, Matt Dickson. “Able to provide >20MN of uplift holding capacity at only 35t of pile mass, the UMACK anchor offers a step change in reduced foundation package costs, and therefore LCOE, for wave, floating offshore wind, and other floating structures projects around the globe. The use of vibro hammer technology is also key for projects to reduce environmental impacts during installations via both significantly reduced noise emissions and time/cost of pile installation.”
Large-Scale Commercial Deployment
Wave Energy Conversion (WEC) technology has exciting potential to contribute to the renewable energy mix in the future. “The continued development of this technology through the VibroDrive+ project marks a significant milestone toward large-scale commercial deployment which is exciting for all involved parties”, said Anro Olivier, Project Manager at Dieseko Group. “Our longstanding partnership with CorPower reflects Dieseko’s confidence in the technology and its ability to deliver opportunities for sustained cooperation in the long term.”
In fact, the successful collaboration between the two companies started in 2021, when the first UMACK anchor supporting CorPower Ocean’s flagship wave energy device was successfully installed in Portugal with Dieseko’s 500MU vibratory hammer. This latest phase marks significant progress towards the companies’ shared vision of smarter, more sustainable technologies in the offshore sector.
