Sweden-based Eco Wave Power (EWP) has begun the installation of its second grid-connected, commercial renewable energy generator in Israel. The company said this week that it had finalized the production of all floaters required for the EWP-EDF One Project and commenced installation of the floaters to the sea wall in the Port of Jaffa, Israel.
Eco Wave Power’s “floaters” draw energy from incoming waves by converting the rising and falling motion of the waves into a clean energy generation process. The movement of the floaters compresses and decompresses hydraulic pistons, which transmit bio-degradable hydraulic fluid into land located accumulators. In the accumulators, pressure is being built. This pressure rotates a hydraulic motor, which rotates the generator, and then the electricity is transferred into the grid via an inverter.
Eco Wave Power’s first commercial array – the first 100KW of a planned and contracted 5MW power station – was installed in 2016 on the east side of Gibraltar. EWP partnered with EDP Renewables in 2019 to form a new company called EWP EDF One and collaborate on the development of another grid-connected 100-kW pilot project, this time in Israel.
The project’s next steps are the installation of all 10 floater units, a test run in real conditions, and the official connection of the power station to the grid. The system functionality and capacity tests are expected to be conducted by the end of the second quarter of this year.
“The installation of the first floater is significant progress toward the first grid-connected wave energy array installation in Israel,” stated Inna Braverman, Chief Executive Officer of Eco Wave Power. “Preparation for the installation of all remaining floaters on the external side of the Jaffa Port breakwater is in advanced stages, and we are relishing over the prospect of being operative soon in the Mediterranean waves.”
Once installed, it will be tested in real conditions before the official connection of the conversion unit, which is already installed onsite, to the Israeli national grid. The EWP-EDF One conversion unit is located on land, similar to a normal power station, which enables easy access for operation and maintenance.
“Our goal is to generate electricity during the third quarter of this year,” added Ms. Braverman. “This is a key milestone in the overall development of the Eco Wave Power technology, and we believe that the results are expected to enable us to take important steps toward the commercial rollout of our pioneering technology.”
