Gizmag was in Gibraltar today at the ribbon cutting event for Eco Wave Power's (EWP) innovative wave energy station, installed on the ammunition jetty in the tiny-yet-iconic British territory. The event itself was brief, but its significance could be huge, marking a big moment for both Gibraltar, and a company with promising green energy tech, and big plans.

We've been following the Israel-based company's progress for years. First tested back in 2012, in a tank at Ukraine's Institute for Hydromechanics in Kiev, the solution captures energy by harnessing the rise and fall of the waves. The motion is converted into fluid pressure, which then spins a generator to produce electricity.

It's been a long road since then, with the team ticking off numerous tests – including stress testing storm trials in the Black Sea, and the creation of a demo station in Jaffa Port, Israel – to evaluate and improve the technology. Today marks a major achievement for the company, inaugurating a landmark power station, installed on Gibraltar's World War II ammunition jetty. The system is Europe's first grid-connected wave energy plant.

Despite the slow bobbing motion of the floats during today's demo, EWP claims that the station efficiently gathers energy year round, from tranquil waters to less beach-friendly weather. It's only in the stormiest conditions that the system has to cease operations, being lifted back up from the waves to avoid damage.

The power station is currently capable of producing 100 KW, but the team plans to increase the amount of energy being generated, up to a 5 MW target by 2020. At that point, the station will be producing an impressive 15 percent of the territory's energy needs.


http://www.gizmag.com/ewp-gibraltar-station-ribbon-cutting/43552/

Wonderful way to reduce docking facilities and clog up the shoreline!