PAV and Valencia City Council work on pilot Wave Energy Converter

The Port Authority of Valencia (PAV) and the City Council of Valencia have teamed up for the installation of a device for the generation of electrical energy from waves.

Both parties have signed an agreement for the installation of a pilot Wave Energy Converter in the “hammer” of the Marina, located at the northern part of the Port of Valencia where the force of the wave is more favourable. This project is 50% co-financed by the City Council and the European Union.

Under the agreement, the Port of Valencia grants Valencia City Council the authorisation to occupy the port public domain for the installation of the device.

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.

As the device is set to be placed in the “hammer” of the Marina, it means the waves will have an unobstructed impact. In this area, due to both the orientation and the morphology of the outer breakwater, the reflection of the waves on the vertical wall itself increases the wave height and therefore the wave energy.

The device costs around €495,000 ($564,700) and will occupy a total surface area of 105m2, corresponding to 77m2 of land and 28m2 of water surface.

“This project is in line with the PAV’s strategic line of decarbonisation and the commitment to renewable sources within the framework of the Valenciaport 2030 objective, zero emissions,” said Federico Torres, Head of Ecological Transition at the PAV.

“From the port authority, we are making a commitment with concrete actions with initiatives such as the electrical substation that will supply energy to ships in port, the installation of photovoltaic panels or the location of wind turbines to produce wind energy.”

Torres continued by congratulating the City Council on this initiative which “fits in perfectly with the common project to convert the city of Valencia into a decarbonisation zone which benefits the whole Valencian society.”

The Wave Energy Converter (WEC) project is expected to generate around 130,000kw per year, equivalent to reducing the city’s annual CO2 production by 16 tonnes.

City Councilor 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,” he said.

The operating system of the device is simple and consists of the installation of a device, like a float, which is connected to a hydraulic arm. Valencia City Council will put this project out to tender in the next few weeks.

In other recent news, the Port of Valencia also had a visit from the Consul of Panama.

While at the facilities, Arline González, the Consul General of the Republic of Panama, held a meeting with Aurelio Martínez, the President of the Port Authority of Valencia (PAV), where she expressed her interest in many of the projects being carried out by the port.

https://www.porttechnology.org/news/pav-and-valencia-city-council-work-on-pilot-wave-energy-converter/