The OWEL Grampus wave energy converter is the leading design for producing emission-free electrical power from the seas. It has crucial advantages compared with other systems: |
 | Simplicity
The Grampus traps air in successive wave troughs, compresses it and stores it in a compressed air reservoir. |
| Survivability
There are no vulnerable moving parts in contact with the water. Storm waves wash over the flush deck of a Grampus platform with little transfer of energy. |
| Deployment
A Grampus floating platform is easily towed to its working site & moored to an anchor system. Decommissioning is equally straightforward. Sea bed disturbance is minimal. |
| Low Cost
The concrete platforms are large, but uncomplicated & environmentally neutral. Fabrication methods are well tried. |
| Low Maintenance
Turbo-generating and control equipment is housed in sheltered, easily accessible enclosed spaces, allowing on site servicing. A single turbo-generator set is sufficient for a 12 MWatt rated platform compared with many in competing systems. |
| Tested
A 1/100 scale model and a 1/10 scale model have been tested in wave tanks. Computational Fluid Dynamis (CFD) and Mathematical Modelling is ongoing.
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| Economic
Power production at between 8p and 12p per kilowatt-hour is predicted for the first commercial platforms. This is expected to decrease with volume production. |
| Progress
It is planned to construct and test a sea-going Grampus platform, probably at the EMEC facility in Orkney. Further funding is required for this stage, and equity in the OWEL company is offered to potential investors. |
