Carnegie Wave Energy has launched world’s first commercial-scale wave energy series at Garden Island in Perth, Western Australia.
It’s the first time in the world wave-generated power has been supplied to the electricity grid.
The Australian Renewable Energy Association funded $13 million of the $32 million cost for the project.
The Perth Wave Energy project consists of three, 240 kilowatt pumps that are fastened to the seabed.
The project took nearly ten years of effort to get completed with a long testing phase, with almost $100m invested in its commercialization.
The wave power project will sell electricity to the Australian Department of Defense, which will power Australia’s naval base located nearby.
They send pressurized water to an onshore hydroelectric plant and also send water to a desalination plant, supplying both energy and fresh water.
In addition, the project is the first wave power station to produce both power and fresh water.
Work has begun on the project based on the technology which will involve larger units in order to achieve four times the capacity of the current units.
The company aims to demonstrate its ability to develop a commercial-scale project.
In parallel with the Perth Wave Energy Project, Carnegie Wave Energy has made significant commercial and technical progress with its CETO 6 Project also to be located off Garden Island.
Carnegie has reached financial close on the previously announced Clean Energy Finance Corporation’s (CEFC) five-year, $20 million loan facility which will part fund the project.
Sabeena Wahid
editor@greentechlead.com