Climate change shows several imbalances (and threatens further ones with the arrival of La Niña). This is why we need to push more and more on renewable energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. CorPower Ocean, a European company, takes part in the challenge with a special marine buoy that uses wave energy to produce electricity.
A giant of the sea, the result of 40 years of research in the field of hydrodynamic engineering.
The heart of innovation: biomimicry
The secret of this buoy lies in its ability to imitate the human heart: it is no coincidence that it was invented by a cardiologist, Stig Lundback.
The device uses vertical oscillations to generate energy. The buoy, 19 meters high and 9 meters in diameter, is anchored to the ocean floor via an advanced tension anchoring system. A much more efficient mechanism than traditional gravity or monopile anchors, which can be installed quickly and silently, without disturbing marine wildlife.
How does the CorPower tidal buoy work?
Inside the buoy, a mechanical transmission converts the linear movement of the waves into rotation, and then turns it all into electricity thanks to integrated generators.
Thanks to a negative spring technology, the buoy's own movement is amplified, increasing the amount of energy produced. Again: the system has an advanced phase control device, which allows it to function optimally in any sea condition.
Result? A buoy that can generate up to five times more energy per ton than other tidal energy systems.
Some more data
Each buoy has an output of more than 300 kW, the company says on its website. It is obviously possible to connect multiple buoys in "CorPark", obtaining energy parks from wave motion, up to hundreds of megawatts.
In addition to good performance, this marine energy production system offers a low-cost, low-environmental-impact solution. The buoy can be produced at "zero kilometre", directly at the installation sites, thanks to a sort of mobile factory.
Another significant advantage of this innovation is that the energy production from wavy way it is greatest in the evening hours and during the winter months. Just when the electricity demand is highest!
Not bad, I'd say: when a solution "puts its heart into it" the results are these.
