Design Evolution
The latest versions of the Oceanlinx technology, greenWAVE and blueWAVE, are the culmination of more than a decade of research and development conducted by the Company. Oceanlinx is the only wave energy technology company in the world to have had three different demonstrations of its technology installed in the real ocean. Each of these variations represented a logical sequence in the design evolution of the technology.
Oceanlinx began with what is now referred to as the MK1. This unit was a 500 tonne OWC chamber that sat on the seabed under its own weight. It was installed at Port Kembla, about 100 km south of Sydney, Australia (more on this project can be viewed in Past Projects).
The next version of the technology has come to be known as MK2. This floating unit was also installed at Port Kembla, and represented Oceanlinx’s first efforts at a floating OWC (more in Projects/Past). As recently as March 2010, Oceanlinx installed its MK3 (pre-commercial), also at Port Kembla. This unit was a cluster of eight floating OWCs (more in Past Projects).
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The operational data supplied by these three demonstration units in the real ocean has allowed Oceanlinx to refine the design, to the point where fully commercial products have now been developed and are ready for implementation in new projects. While there has been some cross-fertilization of the technology, the greenWAVE product is essentially the logical evolution of MK1, while the blueWAVE product is the logical extension of MK2 and MK3PC.
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The Oceanlinx turbine also endured a design evolution since its first implementation in the MK1 unit. The turbine used in Mk1, named the Denniss-Auld turbine, has been the subject of on-going development, resulting in the latest commercial version; the airWAVE turbine. The airWAVE has fewer moving parts and a conversion efficiency that is higher than both the Denniss-Auld and other comparable turbines. It is located well above the waterline, with no moving parts in the ocean. The airWAVE turbine further improves the overall wave-to-wire efficiency of the Oceanlinx greenWAVE and blueWAVE products.
The result of the Oceanlinx design evolution has been a rapid decrease in the cost of electricity produced from ocean waves. The magnitude of this decrease can be appreciated via the accompanying graph.
