The Blue Economy CRC together with Carnegie Clean Energy and Project Partners Advanced Composite Structures Australia (ACS-A)
Climate-KIC Australia Ltd, Huon Aquaculture, Tassal Group Limited, University of Tasmania, University of Queensland, DNV and AMC Search launch the MoorPower™ Scaled Demonstrator project.
Decarbonising Offshore Aquaculture
Impression of the MoorPower™ system aboard a feeder barge. Image courtesy of Carnegie Clean Energy
Globally, as the aquaculture sector moves operations further offshore, the sector is encountering new challenges to access clean and reliable energy.
As the aquaculture sector moves operations further offshore, operations such as feeding barges will no longer have access to shore-based power and the reliance on diesel generators comes with many associated costs, carbon emissions and environmental risks, including fuel storage and spillage risks while refuelling offshore.
However, the shift into energy-intensive offshore wave environments presents an opportunity to utilise an untapped energy source constantly flowing around the facilities, wave energy.
Carnegie’s wave-powered barge concept, “MoorPower™” offers a solution to this energy challenge – providing clean, reliable, predictable energy to support the growth of a diverse sustainable blue economy.
What is MoorPower™?
MoorPower™ is a CETO derived wave energy product designed for moored vessels, and offers a solution to the challenge of securing clean and reliable energy for offshore aquaculture, reducing the sector’s reliance on diesel generation.
The initial target market for MoorPower™ is offshore vessels such as feeding barges for the aquaculture sector, but the future includes other offshore operations that require energy.
Over the next 2 years, Carnegie will design, install and operate a scaled demonstrator of the MoorPower™ technology just offshore from its office and research facility in North Fremantle, Western Australia.
As John Whittington, CEO of the Blue Economy CRC states:
“We look forward to the opportunities the MoorPower™ technology presents to the aquaculture sector and the expansion into high energy offshore sites utilising clean and reliable energy solutions.”
“The project allows the opportunity for collaboration between experts in the field led by Carnegie Clean Energy together with project partners across the country.”
How does it work?
The MoorPower™ technology is a spin-off from Carnegie’s CETO technology, which consists of a submerged buoy that sits a few metres below the surface of the ocean, moving with the waves.
This orbital motion drives a Power Take-Off (PTO) system that converts the wave motion into electrical energy.
What is the future of MoorPower™?
The vision for the MoorPower™ product is that the technology will be an integrated solution with other offshore renewable energy systems including hydrogen and batteries.
Carnegie’s CEO, Jonathan Fievez, adds:
“We are extremely pleased by this collaboration with the Blue Economy CRC and leading industry partners which has come together around MoorPower™, a new wave energy product that delivers solutions to the challenges encountered in the aquaculture sector.”
“MoorPower™ reduces or removes the reliance on diesel and provides clean, reliable, predictable energy to support the growth of a diverse sustainable blue economy.”
“Wave energy has the benefits of consistency and predictability, and in some places, may be the only renewable energy that is practical. With an enormous resource that is largely untapped, wave energy is only set to grow, and working on joint initiatives like the MoorPower™ project, will accelerate and strengthen the advancement of these technologies on a global scale.”
MoorPower™:
- Increases autonomy for moored vessels
- Energy day and night in energetic wave climates
- Abates carbon emissions that are otherwise difficult to avoid
- Reduces or removes refuelling requirements, thereby reducing risk of injury and spills
- Integrated with other energy offshore renewable energy systems including hydrogen and batteries
The Blue Economy CRC will be hosting a webinar on the launch of the MoorPower™ project on Friday 22nd October, 12pm (AEDT) / 9am (AWST) presented by Carnegie Clean Energy CEO, Jonathan Fievez and facilitated by Blue Economy CEO, Dr John Whittington.
For more information on the MoorPower project, please visit the project page or download the Project Summary.
