Eni completes installation of wave energy converter project in Italy

Eni has completed the installation of an inertial sea wave energy converter (ISWEC) device connected to the Italian island of Pantelleria's electricity grid. The project consists of a steel hull 8 m by 15 m in size that houses the energy conversion system, which consists of two gyroscopic units each more than 2 m in diameter. A mooring system that responds to weather and sea conditions, consisting of three mooring lines and a rotating joint, holds the device in place in a 35-m-deep seabed. The generated electricity is transmitted ashore via an underwater electric cable.

The 260 kW device is 800 meters off the coast of Pantelleria. According to Eni, this experimental campaign will yield useful results for developing the second-generation device currently under development. Furthermore, the installation of the ISWEC in Pantelleria is the first step toward the island's decarbonization, in accordance with the energy transition agenda.

Eni collaborated with Politecnico di Torino and Wave for Energy s.r.l. to develop the ISWEC technology (a spinoff of the university). It converts wave motion into electricity, which can then be used to power off-grid infrastructure, small islands, and coastal communities. The ISWEC design can be optimized with reference to the metocean conditions of the site where it is installed using a genetic algorithm that leverages the computing power of Eni's Green Data Centre.