ENEA and Polytechnic of Turin present the new version of the PEndulum Wave Energy Converter, a device specifically created to exploit the waves of the Mediterranean.
(Rinnovabili.it) – Electricity production from the sea With an innovative and low cost system, also suitable for closed ponds and able to compete with more mature renewable technologies. This is the goal of the project PEndulum Wave Transducer (PEWEC)marine transducer.
The initiative bears the signature of ENEA and Polytechnic in Turin which today offer an advanced version of the system. First tested in Rome in 2016 at a 1:12 scale, the device mainly consists of a floating hull moored to the sea floor and a pendulum attached to an electric generator shaft integrated with the hull body. The oscillation of the pendulum allows electricity to be produced from the sea using low-altitude and high-frequency waves.
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“PEWEC 2.0 contains some technological improvements over the previous version”, explain Janmaria Sanino, Head of the ENEA Laboratory for Climate Modeling and Its Impacts. “A 1:25 scale prototype was tested in the marine reservoir of the Federico II University of Naples to study the response of the hull and moorings to intense waves.”
The experiment exposed PEWEC to particularly high waves, both regular and irregular, created artificially within the test basin. Results? Show device Excellent sealing ability and electrical output even in harsh conditions. “This kind of evidence – adds Sanino – Necessary to evaluate transformer performance and resistance even in critical storm surge conditions..
The team’s next step will be to develop a 1-to-1 scale model to be installed along “more active” Mediterranean coasts, such as those of western Sardinia or the Strait of Sicily. The final version will have a file Power 525 kW. It will be 15 m long, 23 m wide and 7.5 m high including a curb weight of over 1,000 tons.
The project also sees researchers participating in lowering cost and increasing efficiency.
“The Politecnico di Torino Lab team has developed advanced digital codes to advance the technology and predict the fabrication potential of a PEWEC device,” explains it Giuliana Matiazzo from Turin Polytechnic, Head of the Research Center MOREnergy Lab. “S.Genetic optimization codes are approved […] To reduce the energy cost of the device. Instead, the experimental tests carried out in the Naples marine basin were essential to prove and validate the promising numerical results obtained.”
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“To estimate the potential market in the Mediterranean basin, we start from these data: in our country there are more than 50 small islands with an average population of about 2,500 people, average per capita consumption of 6 kWh/g and energy cost. High. very”Seneno adds. “Dozens of these devices can produce electricity for a country with a population of 3,000, which contributes significantly to the fight against pollution and erosion by reducing the energy of waves breaking on the coast, without significantly affecting marine flora and fauna.