Wave Dragon is a floating wave energy converter developed by the Danish company Wave Dragon ApS that works by overtopping: curved reflector arms focus incoming waves and channel them up a ramp into an elevated reservoir on the device, and the collected water then drains back out through conventional hydro turbines to generate electricity, combining established hydroelectric technology with offshore engineering. Danish engineer Erik Friis-Madsen conceived and patented the design in 1987, and small scale prototypes were tested at Aalborg University and University College Cork between 1998 and 2001 before a 1 to 4.5 scale prototype was deployed at Nissum Bredning fjord in Denmark in March 2003, becoming the world first offshore wave energy converter connected to a national electricity grid, in this case Denmark own. That prototype operated until 2010, when ice damage halted it, and a proposed 7 megawatt commercial demonstrator for Wales was never built after the 2008 financial crisis delayed funding; as of 2022 the company was still seeking investment to continue developing the technology.
Facts
Technology TypeAn offshore wave energy converter that uses curved reflector arms to focus waves up a ramp into an elevated reservoir, generating electricity as the stored water runs back through low-head turbines. 1 Invented YearMarks when Erik Friis-Madsen formulated and patented the concept; the first sea-tested scale prototype followed in 2003. Classification
MaturityTRL 3: Experimental Proof of Concept 1 Sources
1. Wikipedia: Wave Dragon
WikipediaWave Dragon article, History section, opening sentenceQuote, Wave Dragon article, History section, opening sentence
The concept was formulated in 1987, by Danish engineer Erik Friis-Madsen, and patented thereafter.
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