An Australian company called Oceanlinx specialized in wave power models, has developed an ingenious air pressure system based on floating oil rigs. Now engineers are performing the last tests and measurements before the grid-connection off the coast of Port Kembla, near Sydney. The system will be generating about 2.5MW by harvesting air pressure that will turn a wind turbine.
Ocealinx will harness the oscillating power of waves by entrapping a hollow airspace above the ocean level. The air will be pushed up into a 100 Square meter tunnel in the 500 tonne unit. When the wave rises, the air is pushed up through the turbine rotating it and thus generating energy. While the wave falls, the air is pulled down again through the turbine, rotating it again and generating energy one more time.
As most of the equipments are above the salted sea level, the system is very efficient in costs as it will not require frequent maintenance. Because the project is financed by Sennet Capital in Honolulu, an investment bank focused on renewable energy developments, the system has a high chance of survival and getting to places we never dreamed of.
Being scalable and modular, the Oceanlinx harvesting system could reach up to 240MW of energy. “The genius of the approach is that there are no submerged moving parts” said Karl Stahlkopf, an investor banker at Sennet who likes the Oceanlinx.
