Limpet Device

Limpet (Land Installed Marine Powered Energy Transformer) is a shoreline energy converter sited on the island of Islay, off Scotland’s west coast.
The current Limpet device – Limpet 500 – was installed in 2000 and produces power for the national grid.
Limpet uses the principle of an oscillating water column. The following diagrams show how this works:

Limpet is a shoreline unit and ideally placed to generate electricity in areas exposed to strong wave energy.

The Limpet unit on Islay has an inclined oscillating water column (OWC) that couples with the surge dominated wave field adjacent to the shore. The water depth at the entrance to the OWC is typically seven metres. The design of the air chamber is important to maximise the capture of wave energy and conversion to pneumatic power. The turbines are carefully matched
to the air chamber to maximise power output. The performance has been optimised for annual average wave intensities of between 15 and 25kW/m. The water column feeds a pair of counter-rotating turbines, each of which drives a 250kW generator, giving a nameplate rating of
500kW.

For more information: http://www.wavegen.co.uk/what_we_offer_limpet.htm