
Unique Full-Scale PTO System Bi-Directional Wind Tunnel Test Facility - Case Study
Wave energy converters are generally placed in a very harsh environment and are hard to access due to their location and/or unfavorable weather conditions. With this in mind a full-scale wind tunnel test facility capable of simulating a variety of wave heights and wave periods has been built to fully test and validate Aquanet`s full-scale 1MW rated capacity Power Take-Off system (PTO). The unique 1st of its kind in the world test facility has enabled Aquanet to fully test and validate the system`s performance and reliability in a variety of sea conditions, thereby de-risking the system before it is deployed at sea. Significant cost savings are achieved by commissioning and fine-tuning the PTO on land prior to its deployment at sea. The full-scale PTO is designed and equipped to demonstrate the system’s capability to generate real-time electricity.