Wave for Energy, a spin-off company of Politecnico di Torino and leader in the design and construction of systems for producing electricity from sea waves, has announced the completion of the installation of the ISWEC system commissioned by ENI and installed by the same in the Adriatic Sea about 13 km off the coast of Ravenna.
This is the world's first hybrid plant capable of transforming the energy produced by waves into electricity, also adapting to different sea conditions to ensure high continuity in energy production. The plant, which was installed off-shore near Ravenna by Eni's Northern Central District, is integrated into a unique hybrid smart grid system consisting of photovoltaics and an energy storage system: electricity is thus produced from solar and wave power for the first time in the same plant.
The plant reached a peak power of over 51 kW, or 103% of its nominal capacity. This technology will enable Eni to convert mature offshore platforms into renewable energy generation hubs.
Andrea Gulisano, CEO of Wave for Energy, said: "The entire W4E team has worked tirelessly with ENI, partner Remacut S.r.l. and the Politecnico di Torino to achieve the excellent results obtained in the launch and start-up of the Adriatic ISWEC system. Since the signing of the contract in December 2017, discussions with ENI have been continuous and have allowed us to develop together some key solutions for the success of the installation. We are convinced that this project represents the beginning of a fundamental collaboration and that it can lead to important developments in the future of the company, completing the technology transfer from the Polytechnic ofTurin that started almost 9 years ago."
Waves are the world's largest untapped renewable source, with extremely high energy density, high predictability and low variability, and therefore represent a very promising source of energy for the future and suitable for the decarbonisation of offshore processes. This project represents for Eni a further example of integration with the academic world, to accelerate the industrial development of innovative technologies, strengthening and supporting the national industrial fabric.