Sviluppo e analisi di un dispositivo per la conversione energetica dal moto ondoso

This document describes an innovative wave energy converter for offshore applications. The Seaspoon device, designed as a large-size energy harvester, catches the kinetic energy of water orbital motions in ocean waves with promising conversion efficiency and robust technology, adaptable to different sea states. Most of the existing devices operate in on-shore condition. This makes the Seaspoon very adaptable and suitable for mobile installations. In addition, the localized energy production becomes very interesting for several research or commercial activities, in which the energy supply issue is a crucial aspect. Some prominent applications are meteorological or sea state monitoring, aquaculture activities, off-shore charging stations, power supply for different sensor types, etc. In the following paper, an initial overview of open-sea test facilities for wave energy conversion is presented, after that the paper treats Seaspoon technology: the design and installation phases of the first full scale prototype installed in the Gulf of Genoa, together with the monitored data from the open sea test campaign. Experimental results demonstrated the Seaspoon self-orienting behavior as well as its capability to efficiently harvest energy from sea states lower than the designed one.