'Wave snakes' switch on to harness ocean's power

World's first commercial wave-power farm goes live off Portugal - the 140m-long wave snakes are British made

Peak output

At peak output, the Pelamis wave
machines near Aguçadoura will generate 2.25MW, enough for the annual
needs of about 1,500 family homes. Eventually, the station will be
expanded with a further 25 Pelamis machines so that it can generate up
to 21MW of power. That will save 60,000 tonnes of CO2 per year compared
with a conventional fossil fuel plant.

"If you compare it to wind
energy, wave is more predictable and is more sustained typically," said
Ian Sharp of Babcock and Brown, the company that built and commissioned
the Aguçadoura wave farm.