AW-Energy

Core Business: Harnessing Ocean Surge

The primary activity of AW-Energy centers on the development, patenting, and deployment of an oscillating wave surge converter. This technology is specifically designed to capitalize on the surge phenomenon, which is the powerful, horizontal back-and-forth movement of water in the near-shore area. Unlike devices that rely on the up-and-down motion of waves, AW-Energy???s system taps into this immense, predictable horizontal force. The wave resource is highly predictable, often days in advance, providing a valuable complementary resource to more variable renewables like solar and wind power.

Flagship Product: WaveRoller

The company???s flagship and sole wave energy converter product is the WaveRoller®. It is a fully submerged device designed to be fixed to the seabed in near-shore areas, typically operating at depths of between 8 and 20 meters and approximately 0.3 to 2 kilometers from the shore. Being mostly or fully submerged, the device has minimal to no visual impact from the shore and acts as an artificial reef for marine life.

WaveRoller Components and Operation:

1. Foundation: A compartmented concrete structure that rests on the seabed. It is filled with water for stability, using its weight to hold the entire system stationary.
2. Panel: A large, hinged steel plate anchored to the foundation. As the ocean wave surge moves the water back and forth, the panel oscillates, converting the horizontal kinetic energy into mechanical motion.
3. Power Take-Off (PTO) Unit: This is the core of the energy conversion process. The panel's motion is transmitted through a mechanical drive-train to the PTO unit, which typically houses a traditional hydraulic system and electrical generators. The hydraulic system smooths the irregular wave motion, allowing for a consistent, grid-compatible electrical output.
4. Energy Export: The electricity generated is transmitted to an onshore substation via a sub-sea cable for distribution to the electrical grid.

Technical Specifications and Scale:

• Capacity: A single WaveRoller unit (one panel and PTO combination) is rated at a nominal capacity between 350 kW and 1000 kW.
• Deployment: The technology is scalable and can be deployed either as a single unit for local power supply or in wave farms (arrays) for utility-level power generation.
• Certification: AW-Energy has focused heavily on industrializing its technology, making the WaveRoller one of the most rigorously certified wave energy technology systems globally, having undergone third-party validation and certification from Lloyd's Register.

Products and Services Portfolio

The company???s offerings extend beyond the core hardware to facilitate the entire project lifecycle:

• WaveRoller Devices and Farms: Providing the wave energy converters for both single unit installations and multi-megawatt wave farm projects. The company's short-term goal includes deploying the first megawatt-scale WaveRoller array to demonstrate feasibility for utility-level supply.
• Wave Energy Studies: AW-Energy offers specialized consulting services to assess the wave energy production potential of different geographical locations. These studies are crucial for identifying and validating suitable sites for WaveRoller deployment.
• Turn-Key Solutions: Through strategic alliances, notably an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) agreement with technology group Wärtsilä, AW-Energy offers the WaveRoller on a turn-key basis. This partnership allows for leveraging global project execution, services, and system integration capabilities for commercial roll-out.
• Data and SCADA Systems: The company provides a WaveRoller Dataserver, a software application designed to act as an interface between the installed devices and various data clients. This supports data monitoring, including connections to SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) user interfaces and mobile platforms, utilizing SQL for historical data storage.
• Research and Development: AW-Energy continues to develop its technology, including participation in EU-funded initiatives like the MegaRoller project to develop a larger capacity 1 MW PTO and the WaveFarm project, which focused on developing a scalable business and service model to support future wave farms and preparing processes for projects with 5-10 MW capacity.

The firm's commercial efforts are focused on taking the final steps toward full commercial operations, with projects in development across continents including Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Its technology is designed to be a reliable, clean, and predictable new asset in the global renewable energy mix.