For centuries, inhabitants of the picturesque coastal town of Mutriku have drawn from the ocean's riches. Now they're harnessing its immense power.
The Mutriku wave energy plant was officially commissioned by Spanish utility Ente Vasco de la Energía (EVE) in the Basque Country, Spain, in July 2011.
The plant generates an output of 296kW, enough to power 250 households. Built with an investment of €6.4m, the wave energy project helps reduce 600t of carbon emissions annually.
It received financial assistance from the European Commission’s Seventh Framework Programme, an initiative to fund research and technological development in Europe.
How does it work?
Wave energy technologies capture the movement of ocean and sea waves, and use it to create energy – usually electricity. The amount of energy created depends on the speed, height and frequency of the wave, as well as the water density.
Waves are created by the wind moving over the surface of the ocean, but they continue long after the wind has died down. This complementarity makes wave energy the perfect partner for wind energy, as it extends the power production significantly.
Global potential of oceanic wave energy is estimated at 1.8 TW but is largely untapped.
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230122-the-spanish-town-powered-by-waves
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