Wave energy offers stability and reliability, but high costs and technical challenges hinder its market application. Start-ups Weco and AE WaveHexapod are tackling these challenges by developing innovative wave energy converters. They utilise both vertical and horizontal wave movements, which doubles efficiency. Campus@Sea facilitates their development in collaboration with InnovationQuarter.
Jan-Hendrik Schretlen, chairman and co-founder of Campus@Sea, was interviewed about this together with Luc Hogervorst from Weco and Lucas Nijman fromAE WaveHexapod.
Weco is developing a floating cylinder that converts wave motion into energy, while AE WaveHexapod uses zepot generators that float on buoys and harness the waves. Both start-ups are trying to manage the risks of storms and saltwater corrosion, Weco with a moving cylinder and AE WaveHexapod with a hoisting system for lifting generators in bad weather.
These innovations have the potential to increase the yield of offshore wind farms and significantly reduce the cost of green energy. They complement other renewable energy sources and contribute to accelerating the energy transition. The entrepreneurs (Weco and AE WaveHexapod) expect the first wave energy to flow through the national grid in about three to four years.
Read the full article (Dutch) on the InnovationQuarter website.
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