Located on the east side of

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

, on a former World War II ammunition jetty, the Gibraltar Wave Farm is the first commercial, grid-connected wave energy power station in all of Europe. The project utilizes the devices of Eco Wave Power Ltd, an Israel-based

wave energy Wave power is the capture of energy of wind waves to do useful work – for example, electricity generation, water desalination, or pumping water. A machine that exploits wave power is a wave energy converter (WEC). Waves are generated by wind p ...

company. The wave farm was initially launched with an estimated peak capacity of 100 kW in April 2016 and plans for expansion to 5 MW within the next years. The project is operating through a 25-year PPA (

power purchase agreement A power purchase agreement (PPA), or electricity power agreement, is a contract between two parties, one which generates electricity (the seller) and one which is looking to purchase electricity (the buyer). The PPA defines all of the commercial te ...

) between Eco Wave Power, the

Government of Gibraltar His Majesty's Government of Gibraltar is the democratically elected government of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. The head of state is King Charles III who is represented by the Governor. Elections in Gibraltar are held every four ...

, and the Gibraltar Electricity Authority. Upon completion, it is expected generate 15% of the total electricity consumption of Gibraltar. The project is funded, in part, by the 2014-2020

European Regional Development Fund The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is one of the European Structural and Investment Funds allocated by the European Union. Its purpose is to transfer money from richer regions (not countries), and invest it in the infrastructure and se ...

, in order to put the country in line with the EU's renewable energy goal: 20% energy generated from renewable power by 2020. The project is also funded by private investment groups. As of February 2018, the Gibraltar Wave Farm accrued 15,000 grid connected hours (and counting), a new world record for wave energy plant.

Opening ceremony

Co-founders of EWP with Gibraltar Ministers

The opening ceremony took place on May 26, 2016. Chief Minister

Fabian Picardo Fabian Raymond Picardo (born 18 February 1972) is a Gibraltarians, Gibraltarian politician and barrister serving as Chief Minister of Gibraltar and Leader of the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party since 2011 Gibraltar general election, 2011. At t ...

cut the ribbon, and stated to GBC press, "At last we are seeing the grid fed with renewable energy, something that was long overdue ...But it's even more exciting than that. This is the first time, in the whole of Europe, that a renewable wave energy system is linked into an electricity grid. The Gibraltarians are here pioneers in our partnership with Eco Wave Power..." Minister of Health, The Environment, and Climate Change Dr. John Cortes confirmed the technology, "This is clearly working. I think that the future is bright and the future, like the past all those 6 million years ago, is in the power of the sea all around us." Gibraltar's Director of European Programmes, Charles Collinson, stated, "...And I hope that we are able to collaborate in future expansion of this project."

Technical description

Converter consists of three main functional parts: mechanical, hydraulic and electric systems. Mechanical system serves for wave energy receipt on floaters and its transmission to hydraulic cylinders. Hydraulic system transforms mechanical energy from the sea to hydraulic fluid pressure and to force of hydraulic motor rotation, which transfers moment of rotation to generator. Generator is part of converter electrical system. It receives moment of rotation and transforms it to electrical power. "

Gallery

File:Gibraltar Ammunition Jetty Tunnels.jpg, The power station is located inside the prior World War II ammunition jetty tunnels. File:Gibraltar Wave Farm.jpg, The wave farm is located on the east side of Gibraltar. File:Gibraltar Wave Farm Power Station.jpg, The interior of the 100 KW Gibraltar Wave Farm power station. File:Gibraltar Wave Farm devices.jpg, Wave energy floaters at the Gibraltar Wave Farm.

References

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