Wello has developed a wave energy converter solution called the Penguin which is based on a floating vessel that captures the kinetic energy of waves and converts it into electrical power. The beauty of this arrangement is that it reduces the need for massive anchoring.
Wave energy is an important focus area for Fortum and the company is aiming to be in the vanguard of development in this area according to Chief Technology Officer Heli Antila. The company is especially interested in how Wello has combined new innovations with existing technologies.
“This is an excellent example of a small company partnering with a big company, which can significantly speed up the development of new technology into a commercial product” said Wello’s CEO Aki Luukkainen. “Together Wello and Fortum can take a significant step in this evolving sector.”
Fortum has been actively involved in wave energy development since 2007 and has participated in the development of several technologies. One of these is the Finnish AW-Energy’s WaveRoller technology which has been successfully tested off the coast of Portugal. Last year, Fortum also signed a cooperation agreement with the French marine technology company DCNS to further test and develop AW-Energy’s technology off the coast of Bretagne, France.
The company is also currently cooperating with Seabased AB around a 10MW wave power park on the west coast of Sweden, in Sotenäs. This is one of the largest wave-power demonstration projects in the world and will start production sometime this year. It utilises a linear wave power generator that is placed on the sea bed. Fortum also signed a leasing agreement with Wave Hub in the UK in February, with the aim of testing wave power technologies off the coast of Cornwall.
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