Australia prepares to launch world’s largest wave energy converter

Will be the world’s first 1 MW device.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) will soon launch “greenWAVE,” the world’s first 1 MW wave-energy-to-electricity turbine.

The wave energy device was developed by Oceanlinx. ARENA has invested $4.4 million of the $8 million cost of the project. Oceanlinx is now preparing to commission and test how well the device can feed power into the national electricity grid for 12 months.

The greenWAVE weighs 3,000 tonnes and is anchored to the ocean floor at a depth of some 15 meters. An opening allows water to enter the unit as a wave hits. This pushes a column of air up through a turbine to generate energy.

As the wave ebbs, the air flow reverses, turning the turbine in the opposite direction and generating more power.

ARENA plans to install greenWAVE off the coast of Port MacDonnell in South Australia.