Industry solutions.
By working in partnership with leading renewable energy companies and tier 1 contractors, we understand our customer’s challenges. To manage the increasing integration of renewable energy sources and the resulting issues for the grid (such as fluctuating voltages and power cuts), our products are designed to be reliable, robust, efficient and powerful. This high quality stems in particular from our extensive expertise in the Oil & Gas and Space sectors, as well as our understanding of the E-mobility sector where we can find common challenges. In addition, we are working with world leading R&D centers to develop innovative solutions for renewable energy applications.
Quality management.
Our product design and production systems are qualified according to the ISO9001 Quality Management System. Our standards and procedures enable us to deliver products and services in accordance with customer and regulatory requirements. Final assembly and product testing is done in-house. We carry out in-depth validation of all produced converters at full power and maximum temperature, as well as burning tests to avoid youth failure on.
Case studies.
Wave Energy Converter (WEC)
Watt & Well has been working with SBM Offshore since 2017 to develop its innovative WEC S3® Wave Energy Convertor. This new generation wave energy convertor system marks the first step towards harnessing large scale, commercially viable wave energy. It moves beyond the barriers inherent in the industry’s conventional wave energy devices, which have met technical and economic limitations. The WEC S3® Wave Energy Convertor features direct energy conversion from waves to electricity by application of Electro Active Polymers. Energy is generated through a series of dielectric elastomer generators (DEG) which charge kinetic energy as the polymers are stretched and discharges energy as they are relaxed.
The flexible floater and its mooring system require minimum maintenance and have already been successfully tested in a model basin facility. Watt & Well has developed the onshore and offshore electronics components of the prototype. This include power conversion, measurement and monitoring of the complete equipment. Initially modelled at the Ecole Centrale de Nantes, the WEC S3® is supported by the French government’s ecological transition agency (ADEME) Future Investments Program, as well as the Principality of Monaco.
Hydrogen Energy Storage Solutions
Hydrogen is often cited as a clean energy solution, but today, most hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels through steam methane reforming, generating 830 Mt of annual CO2 emissions. Carbon-free “green” hydrogen is produced using electrolyzers to split water molecules and separate the hydrogen from the oxygen. In the same way, the operation can be reversed, combining hydrogen and oxygen to form water. It is an expensive and energy intensive process, but when the energy used is from renewable sources such as hydro, wind or solar, then the hydrogen produced acts as a versatile, fossil-free energy carrier. This green hydrogen could play a useful and complimentary role to current energy storage solutions. When there is too much wind or solar to be absorbed by the grid, this excess energy can be used to produce hydrogen, which can then be stored to facilitate grid balancing to offset the intermittence of renewables. Watt & Well is exploring the application of its bi-directional power units to develop hydrogen based energy storage solutions.
Stationary Battery Storage Systems
Batteries are a cost-effective way to store small amounts of energy on a short-term basis, but they are not at the scale of being able to store large amounts of energy for a long period of time. However, stationary battery systems can be used to provide backup power to buildings, by storing energy from renewable sources such as solar or wind and enhancing grid stability. Moreover, as battery manufacturers look towards product lifetime solutions, stationary battery storage could provide a second life for EV batteries. Watt & Well is a member of the Shift2DC Horizon Europe project to promote the adoption of decentralized Direct Current (DC) microgrids to support the energy transition. We are also members of the Current/OS Foundation which promotes an open standard system for DC distribution to improve resilience, sustainability, and safety of energy distribution. For further information see our E-mobility section.
Geothermal Energy
Geothermal energy is a clean, renewable, and sustainable energy source that can be used for power generation and district heating/cooling. However, extracting thermal energy from the ground is a challenging process and drilling tools for geothermal wells need to withstand the high temperatures, intense pressures, shocks, and vibrations that are encountered when drilling for oil and gas. With our expertise and product range developed for directional drilling, measuring while drilling (MWD) and wireline tools, our power electronics are designed to withstand harsh environments, providing uninterrupted power supply to communicate with the surface. At Watt & Well we’re working with our traditional clients in the USA and Norway to provide solutions for geothermal energy projects.
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