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1,500 Homes Receive Power from Agucadoura - 11/10/08

As the energy crisis continues researchers are looking for alternative sources of energy. These new sources of energy are frequently coming from unconventional sources. Portugal has built what they are calling Agucadoura, which is the world’s first wave farm off their coast. The wave farm has three wave energy converters. All four units are producing a total of 2.25 Mega Watts of power.

Some believe if we can use the wave power of oceans as a new alternative energy resource the energy crisis will be over. If we install these wave energy converters all over the oceans, it is estimated 2 terawatts of power could be produced. This is twice the amount of electricity consumption of the entire world. Even though this might be impractical to implement, these types of alternative energy resources can provide a portion of the worlds energy needs instead of being dependent on hydrocarbon energy.

The wave energy converters have four cylindrical caterpillar looking converters. These cylindrical wave energy converters are 142 meters long and are 700 tons. Pelamis Wave Power built these units that generate a total of 2.25 Mega Watts. When at their peak performance they can provide power for 1,500 homes. The plan is to add 25 more Pelamis units generating 21 Mega Watts of power. This will save 60,000 tons of C02 per year over using fossil fuel plants.

Each Pelamis unit has four articulated sections. As the waves move up and down, these sections move with the waves. Hydraulic rams are between each hinged section that drives the generators producing electricity. This power is then sent by underwater cable to the Agucadoura station where it is fed into the national grid.

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