Perth wave power company in deal to deploy technology in Indonesia

Perth-based renewables start-up Bombora Wave Power Australia has announced the beginnings of a new deal that could see its unique, Australian made Wave Energy Collectors (WEC) manufactured and distributed in Indonesia, to help meet the archipelago’s complex power network challenges.

The company said on Monday it had entered into a Technology Evaluation Agreement with Anoa Power to evaluate suitable WEC deployment sites on Indonesia’s remote coastal regions, and to confirm electricity generation capability across these locations.

Bombora’s WEC technology uses a unique ramp-like feature to capture both heave and surge motions within a wave to extract more of its energy.

The technology has a low cost of energy, due to its simplified construction: a concrete base with a sloping membrane wall.

The WEC rests on the sea floor allowing large waves to pass over the top of the device with minimal interruption. In stormy conditions the membrane can be deflated, protect the WEC from damage in rough conditions.

This feature allows the WEC to be lengthened in low wave energy resource regions at low incremental cost, making it ideally suited to Indonesian requirements.

Rated at 1.5MW, each WEC unit has the potential to supply renewable electricity for 500 homes or deliver 1GL of desalinated water each year.