Metso will develop and supply a Metso DNA automation system to AW-Energy Ltd’s unmanned demo power plant, the first one in the world to generate electricity from the surge, a form of ocean energy. Wave energy is the biggest untapped energy source in the renewables sector and AW-Energy has now developed and patented the WaveRoller™ technology to harness it. Unlike other solutions available on the market which generate energy from the surface movements of the ocean, the AW-Energy equipment is anchored on the sea bottom at a depth of 10-20 meters and takes advantage of the back-and-forth movement of the surge. The Finland-based company will expand its present pilot equipment to a 300kW demonstration power plant in Peniche, Portugal, during 2011. The renewable energy harnessed from the Atlantic Ocean will be transferred through a sea cable to the national grid. Attesting to the sustainability of the new technology is the fact that the demo plant was granted its construction permit in Portugal’s Natura 2000, an area classified as a Special Protected Area (SPA) in Europe. The Metso DNA automation system will control this unmanned power plant around the clock, a challenging task because the process stations are located underwater. The delivery also includes an information system to analyze the prevailing wave conditions. Both systems used in this demo power plant are the first of their kind in the world.
