Nearshore devices are generally fixed directly to the sea bed in shallow water and are either connected to land or in close proximity to it. One of the first grid connected wave energy devices was Wavegen's LIMPET (Land Installed Marine Power Exporting Technology) installed on the Scottish island of Islay. It is a shoreline device that makes use of the oscillating water column (OWC) concept.
Wavegen's LIMPET (image courtesy of Wavegen)
The advantage of nearshore devices is that they are easily accessible. This makes grid connection and maintenance far easier than for offshore devices. They can also be built into other structures such as breakwaters, as with the proposal for our Siadar project. For more information about wave energy devices, please follow the link to the BWEA website to the right of the page.
Schematic showing how the LIMPET works
(image courtesy of Wavegen)
Nearshore
