Wello starts construction of the Penguin WEC-2
© Wello Oy 13.08.2018
The summer is in full swing and so are the team at Wello. With the construction of the Penguin WEC-2 well under way things are ramping up to be another busy period.
The Penguin WEC-2 is being constructed under the clean energy from ocean waves (CEFOW) initiative by the European research and innovation programme, at Netaman Oü shipyard in Tallinn. The installation of the device will take place in the next coming months, at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney. The installation will be facilitated by a multi-cat vessel from Green Marine, a local vessel operator
The new Penguin will generate power to the national grid alongside it’s younger sibling, the Penguin WEC-1. The original Penguin has now been continuously deployed for more than 17 months and during that time has survived several storms and two hurricanes, with waves up to 18 m. The new WEC-2 device represents significant leaps forward in wave energy converting technology, increasing power production by an average of 110% compared to its predecessor.
While construction is underway of the new device, Wello’s R&D team is continuously developing and has reached new records again. The most recent iteratio of the device produces 25% more energy than the soon to be deployed WEC-2.
The new design functions significantly better at lower wave heights, increasing operational hours as well, up to 4700 hours per year in some cases. With lower manufacturing costs than the previous designs the latest Penguin Wello is striving for a lower and lower cost of energy already making wave energy a commercially viable solution.
With a busy season ahead of Wello, we will be posting more updates on the continuous development of the Penguin and construction of the Penguin WEC-2 right to its deployment.