Overview.
The Water Energy Point Absorber (WEPA) was conceived to respond to the request of innovation from Parco Speciale di Porto Conte.
The public administration contracted Wave for Energy to develop a technology to generate electricity and desalinated water for remote economic activities immersed in the environmental protected area of the Parco.
In order to provide continuity of the supply, a hybrid system, powered by 100% renewable energy and with batteries back-up has been developed.
Technology Development.
The archetype ot the WEPA technology is a point absorber wave energy converter (see link to EMEC).
The relative motion between the wave-activated float on the sea surface and the seabed structure activates a power takeoff system internal to the float. And to maximize the power generation potential of the device, also photovoltaic panels and a micro wind turbine were integrated in the structure of the system.
This solution has a high scalability and can be adapated for low power requirements as well as high energy yields.
Key Benefits.
The hybrid WEPA systems represent a valid alternative for multiple applications as they carry several differentiating design characteristics: