/Wave Power Plant

The first wave power plant in Latin America was tested in the Port of Pecém, in the state of Ceará. It uses the wave movements to produce electric power. The pilot project, which was created and developed at Coppe, pushes Brazil to the select group of countries that are testing different technological concepts to reach the same goal: to prove that sea waves can generate enough electric power at feasible costs.  
 

The main innovation of the Brazilian wave power plant is the use of a high-pressure system to move the turbine and the generator, a concept that was developed and patented by Coppe. The whole set consists of a buoy and a mechanical arm. When the waves move the buoy and the mechanical arm, they drive a pump to pressurize fresh water and store it in an accumulator connected to a hyperbaric chamber. The pressure in the chamber is equivalent to that of water columns found at hydropower plants. The highly pressurized water jet is responsible for moving the turbine, which in turn drives the electric power generator.