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Friday, April 25, 2008
MAREN is making waves at Runde:
Exploratory testing of wave energy
generator enters first phase
 A
beautiful sunny day at Runde did not fool participants
of the April 24th boat trip around the island
that the ocean here is more commonly an enormous
source of energy, such as waves and tides. Usually,
visitors to the island are met by big surf and
breaking waves so that even the air tastes salty.
In order to launch MAREN, a Swedish-Norwegian
demonstration project for wave energy production
initiated by Runde Environmental Centre, a group
of experts and collaborators gathered yesterday
to find the most suitable location for deployment
of the system. Facilitated by Runde Environmental
Centre, the European energy provider Vattenfall
AB, together with wave energy experts from Seabased
AB, both located in Sweden, met with regional
energy provider Tussa AS to enter the implementation
phase of MAREN, testing two demonstration generators
of 50kW capacity each in Runde waters.
After formal approval of the test system by the
regional authorities, deployment is scheduled
for the fall of 2008. Wave energy harvested by
MAREN generators is fed directly into the regional
power grid. Over a period of three years, the
system will be monitored closely with regard to
technical and economic performance, as well as
for potential environmental impacts. Runde Environmental
Centre is committed to the exploration of renewable
ocean energies and is happy to provide both expertise
and logistical infrastructure for this important
project and the development of sustainable energy
alternatives.
For further questions, please contact Lars Golmen
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