The LEANCON Wave Energy Device
Facts:
- A full scale wave energy converter will be 240 meters wide
- With an installed capacity of 4.6 MW, it will give a yearly production of 8.8 MWh in the North Sea
- Design lifte time 20 years
- A scale 1:1.5 at Hanstholm or Horns Rev will be 180 meters wide, and have an installed capacity of 1.7 MW
Distinctive characteristic:
- No moving parts in contact with the ocean
- No moving parts exposed to big forces
- Made in glass fibre composite, which has good corrosion and endurance proporties
- Uses well known, thoroughly and optimized manufacturing technologies, that gives higt quality and low manufacturing costs
- Gives high reliability due to redundant systems
- In storm situations the WEC floats high in the waves, whereby the loads is minimized
Wave energy for the future
The LEANCON Wave Energy Device (WEC) is a multi absorbing wave energy converter.
The mission is to deliver electricity at a competeable price compared to other renewable energy sources.
That shall be achieve gradually optimizing the WEC in scale 1:4. For The LEANCON Wave Energy Device this is the most cost effective way to reach a scale 1:2 WEC that will be very optimized allready from the first device.
It is expect that the first commercialization of wave energy in Denmark will take place in scale 1:2 with devices that are between 300 - 1500 kW.
A full scale WEC in scale 1:1, in this terminology, is a device designed for the the danish part of the North Sea where the average wave power is 16 kW/m.
LEANCON Wave Energy
LEANCON Wave Energy was a company that started the developement within wave energy in May 2004.
After innummerable test, experiments and meassurements in own wave flume, the pressent very optimal construction was developed, and a 6 meter wide scale 1:40 was build.
In September 2005 a functional test was made in the wave tank at the University of Aalborg, that confirmed the function principle.
An off shore test of the scale 1:40 device was carried out in the autumn of 2007.
The first commercialization wil have to take place at some increased feed-in tarifs. After some years, when the WEC has reached full scale the feed-in tarifs can be reduced.
In 10 to 15 years, when the WEC has been in serial production for some years, the WEC will be able to compete against off shore wind.
Scale 1:10 offshore test July 2015.
The project got a public grant from Energinet.dk to test and meassure the energy production, the loads and to make load calculations on a scale 1:10 WEC.
The design and manufacturing of a 24 meter wide scale 1:10 model are completed and the WEC was launched in the sea in July 2015. The purpose was primaraly to determine the loads and to verify the energy production.
The first offshore test is now completed and the WEC is brought on shore.
The LEANCON Wave Energy Device Advanced in a simple way