Seeding Marine Innovation in WA with a Wave Energy Deployment in Albany

Image courtesy of the Wave Energy Research Centre

DOWNLOAD SHORT SUMMARY

Research Program

Offshore Renewable Energy Systems

PROJECT LEADERS

Dr Hugh Wolgamot

UWA Oceans Institute

Professor Christophe Gaudin

UWA Oceans Institute

Wiebke Ebeling

UWA Oceans Institute

PROJECT ID

3.21.004

BECRC PARTNERS

BMT
Climate KIC Australia
Huon Aquaculture
University of Queensland
University of WA
UTAS

THIRD PARTY PARTICIPANTS

M4 WavePower Ltd

Albany Shellfish Hatchery

WA State Government Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

START DATE

September 2021

END DATE

December 2025

DURATION

30 months

PROJECT IN BRIEF

A prototype version of the M4 (short for ‘Moored MultiModal Multibody’) Wave Energy Converter will be deployed in King George Sound, Albany, funded by the CRC, WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and UWA.

The project demonstrates wave energy’s potential to power the aquaculture industry and enable an ecosystem of other surrounding activities including development of a test site/market demonstrator and academic research in multiple fields and institutions. The M4 WEC is ideal for this project as it has undergone extensive optimisation, with published results (in peer-reviewed journals) demonstrating high energy capture and excellent survivability.

Wave energy converter deployments are typically commercially sensitive and therefore difficult to build broad research and engagement programs around. In this case data will be publicly available and benefits will include demonstration of local (Great Southern, WA) and national capability, interaction across CRC partners, advancement of the technology, community engagement, training and more.

The project involves the design, manufacture, deployment, operation & maintenance, and decommissioning of a scaled prototype of M4, seeking to test and validate the infrastructure and supply chain necessary for emerging ocean energy markets, including the aquaculture industry in the region.

MAY 2025 UPDATE: M4 COMPLETES SIX MONTH SEA TRIAL

That’s a wrap on the M4 Wave Energy Demonstrator sea trial!

The impressive ‘Kwilyilah’ has completed its 6-month summer sea trial in King George Sound, Albany. An amazing effort by the team at The UWA Oceans Institute, project partners, local Albany contractors and international collaborators who all played an integral part in this pioneering wave energy demonstration project.

Over 130 days of operation and 300h of power generation the team collected more than 3TB of data that will be heading into analysis over the coming months.

Stay tuned!

JANUARY 2025 UPDATE: M4 TRANSMITTING REAL-TIME DATA

Real-time data is now being transmitted from the M4 including M4 location and orientation, live and historical wave characteristics including significant wave height, wave direction, and period, mooring loads and hinge rotation along with live CCTV footage and power generated from the last event.

Additionally, the M4 Wave Energy Converter has returned to its test site in King George Sound, getting towed out under its new Noongar name ‘Kwilyilah’.
We worked with the Albany Heritage Reference Group, and participating local Menang-Noongar Elders chose the name ‘𝗞𝘄𝗶𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗵’ – dolphin that describes the leaping/hinging motion above water and the strong connection and knowledge shared between dolphins and coastal communities. Thank you to the Menang community for being involved in our project.

VIEW rEAL-TIME DATA

DECEMBER 2024 UPDATE: M4 PASSES SURVIVAL MODE WITH FLYING COLOURS!

The survival mode for M4 was successfully tested, reaching a maximum hinge angle of almost 40 degrees in waves up to 2 meters! In this sea-state the maximum mooring load was over 2000kg. Footage captured from onboard cameras!

NOVEMBER 2024 DEPLOYMENT
M4 Wave Energy Technology In Action in Albany

The M4 Wave Energy Converter has successfully been deployed into King George Sound and has begun transmitting data on the power generation from ocean waves.

Over the next six months, the M4 is expected to generate renewable energy from wave motion while gathering crucial performance data, providing insights into the technology’s effectiveness as a clean energy source for Australia’s Great Southern region.

“It is a world-first, a fully open-sourced wave energy generator for which all data gathered during the operation will be displayed on the specific website and be made available to the public domain,” MERA and UWA Oceans Institute Director, Christophe Gaudin.