Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) have developed an ‘Ocean Wave Energy Converter’ that can generate electricity from sea waves. The trials of this device were successfully completed in the second week of November 2022.
The device was deployed at a site about 6 km off the coast of Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, at a location with a depth of 20 meters. This device aims to generate 1 MW of power from ocean waves over the next three years.
“The success of this project will help achieve several goals such as the UN Ocean Decade and the Sustainable Development Goals. India’s goals include deep water missions, clean energy and achieving a blue economy. It could help India meet its climate change-related targets of generating 500 GW of electricity by 2030 through renewable energy,” the institute said in its release.
The device is intended for remote offshore locations that require reliable power and communications, either by supplying electrical power to loads directly integrated into or on the device, or located in close proximity, such as on the sea floor and in the water column. Targeted stakeholders are the oil and gas, defense and security installations and communications sectors.
IIT Madras Faculty Prof. dr. Abdus Samad, who has been working on wave energy for more than a decade, led the mission. He established a state of the art ‘Wave Energy and Fluids Engineering Laboratory’ (WEFEL) at IIT Madras. His team designed and tested a scaled-down model. The lab is also investigating other applications of this technology, such as generating power for smaller ocean devices, such as navigation buoys and data buoys, among others.
prof. Abdus Samad, Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras, highlighted the impact of this project: “India has a 7,500 km coastline capable of producing 54 GW of power, covering a significant portion of the country’s energy needs . Seawater stores thermal energy from tides, waves and oceans. Among them, harnessing 40GW of wave energy is possible in India.”
Further, Prof. Abdus Samad said, “Even a few devices in different locations along the Indian coastline can generate large amounts of clean power. We are also considering arraying multiple devices for maximum wave energy extraction from the site. Our vision is to make India sustainable by leveraging marine energy and net zero carbon emissions to reduce climate impact.”
The project received funding through ‘Innovative Research Project’ from IIT Madras, TBI-KIET under DST Nidhi-Prayas Scheme and Australian Alumni Grant Scheme 2022 by Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australian Government.
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