The PAV and the València City Council collaborate in the installation of a pilot device for generating electricity from waves
The Port Authority of Valencia (PAV) and the city council of Valencia have signed an agreement for the installation of a device for the generation of electrical energy from waves to be in the Marina of Valencia, according to The Port Authority of Valencia's release.
Through this agreement, the Port of Valencia grants the City Council of Valencia the authorisation to occupy the port public domain for the installation of a device for the generation of wave energy. In this case, the City Council’s proposal is made within the framework of the H2020 MAtchUP demonstration project financed by the European Commission, which plans to develop an innovative and sustainable technological solution to produce energy by harnessing the action of waves, with great social and environmental repercussions.
This wave energy collector, due to its characteristics and its own functionality, will be in the hammerhead of the access channel of the Marina de Valencia, an area where the waves have an unobstructed impact. In this area, due to both the orientation and the morphology of the outer breakwater (vertical breakwater), the reflection of the waves on the vertical wall itself increases the wave height and therefore the wave energy. The device will occupy a total surface area of 105 m2, corresponding to 77 m2 of land and 28 m2 of water surface.
The WEC (Wave Energy Converter) project will generate around 130,000 kilowatts per year, which will be equivalent to reducing the city’s annual CO₂ production by 16 tonnes. This innovative action is 50% co-financed by the City Council and the European Union. Councillor Alejandro Ramon explained that “the works will begin in 2022. We hope that after the summer they can start and that, in 2023, the waves of this city can be used to generate electricity.
The operating system is simple and consists of the installation in the sea of a device, like a float, which is connected to a hydraulic arm. Energy is generated by the constant and repetitive lifting and submerging movement of the float. The cost of the device is 495,000 euros. València City Council will put this project out to tender in the next few weeks and it is expected to be operational in 2023.
