Aguçadoura Wave Farm

The Aguçadoura Wave Farm was a wave farm located 5 km (3 mi) offshore near Póvoa de Varzim north of Porto in Portugal. The farm was designed to use three Pelamis Wave Energy Converters to convert the motion of the ocean surface waves into electricity, totalling to 2.25 MW in total installed capacity. The farm was officially opened on 23 September 2008, by the Portuguese Minister of Economy. The wave farm was shut down two months after the official opening in November 2008. It was reported to have cost €9m, but for these early projects the true costs are not always known. The Pelamis devices were deployed at the Aguçadoura test site, which has previously and subsequently seen other wave energy and floating wind turbines tested there.

Developed by the Scottish company Pelamis Wave Power, the Pelamis machine was made up of connected sections which flex and bend relative to one another as waves run along the structure. This motion is resisted by hydraulic rams which pump high pressure oil through hydraulic motors which in turn drive electrical generators. The three machines which made up the Aguçadoura Wave Park were each rated at a peak output of 750 kW, giving an installed peak capacity of 2.25 MW, enough to meet the average electricity demand of more than 1,500 Portuguese homes. The average output from a Pelamis machine will depend on the wave resource in a particular area. The higher the resource the higher the average output. According to information on the Pelamis web site, it appears that the average power output for a Pelamis wave machine was about 150 kW. The first machine was installed in July 2008, followed by the other two in September. There had been issues with foam-filled buoyancy tanks, although this was resolved. Further technical issues meant they were removed from site in November 2008. The economic benefits of the wave farm were less than initially hoped due to its short lifespan and low power output. After a few months after its installation, the farm project had to be abandoned and the devices brought back to port.

Power station data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).