Markets
Anchoring
Offshore Rigs
Dredging
Windfarm Back Up
Island Power
Providing clean energy to ships anchored at sea, waiting to pick up new freight. At the moment ships that wait for freight or good prices have to either run diesel generators or let their main engines run to provide power for light and airco. A diesel generator cost more than wave energy and running the main engine is a real financial burden. A couple of Slow Mills could provide the electric power demand for light and airco of mid sized ships. In lower wave conditions however, generator assistance will be needed.
Providing clean energy to offshore oil and gas platforms that now use diesel generators. Oil companies are under pressure to become more sustainable and should lead the market into cleaner production methods. Wave energy can assist in the transition. As the price of wave energy is not that high, the business case can be made where wave energy could supplant diesel generated electricity at sea which is not only polluting but also quite expensive. A couple of Slow Mills could provide the electric needs of a small platform.
Providing clean energy to offshore projects like dredging. Dredging barges have a large CO2 footprint and wave energy can help to alleviate that burden and improve economics. As the Slow Mill is very flexible and can be moved from one sand winning location to another, wave energy assisted dredging is a good way to curb emissions in this industry.
Powering coastal area's and islands. Most islands depend on the main land for grey energy supply and the Slow Mill could help them become fully sustainable and independent. The cost of constantly importing diesel from land or the construction of a power cable, could be double the cost of wave energy.
Protecting and supporting wind farms at sea. Waves pounding on windturbines necessitate heavy and expensive monopoles. Protection by a Slow Mill wave farm lessens wave impact and during storms wind turbines can shut down early to prevent wear and tear while the wave farm provides full power. Thus the lifetime of a wind farm could possibly be extended by more than 20%. With an additional 20% peak energy of the wave farm, total useable output from the same location could increase by more than 40%. As utilisation rates of the power cable and electrical socket at sea improve accordingly and less infrastructure is needed for stand by power, buffering and grid integration, total whole chain cost can decrease significantly.