Industrial - Bachelors

The NDA: Innovation in Marine Renewable Energy

The NDA is a product that is responsible for providing clean, reliable and cost-efficient energy for small coastal communities in energy poverty. The purpose was to create a small-scale hydropower unit that is fit for the community and to promote jobs.

Ethan Wallen

THE PROBLEM

ENERGY POVERTY IN COASTAL COMMUNITIES

Energy poverty, defined as the lack of easily accessible energy is a critical issue affecting small communities around the world. With an estimated 3.7 million rural communities in the Pacific Islands households having inadequate access to readily available electricity, it has become a serious concern for surrounding nations. Often these communities turn to fossil fuel generators to help provide power. Unfortunately, this is not a long-term solution, as fossil fuel prices begin to rise. Marine Renewable Energy is emerging as a promising form of energy for these communities as they are close to the ocean and the surrounding wetlands. Papa New Guinea, The Solomon Islands and Vanuatu are known to be some of the few countries that experience energy poverty. Papa New Guinea is the largest of the well-known regions and in 2022 only 19% of their total population had access to energy, with 71% of that energy provided by fossil fuels. Therefore, a solution that can help these communities is Marine Renewable Energy.

Marine Renewable Energy offers several advantages over other forms of renewable energy like solar and wind. The ocean is constantly moving, whether it is day or night making it an ideal energy source for the rural coastal communities on the Pacific Islands. Within this vast space of renewable energy, Tidal Energy has become more popular which extracts energy from currents. Therefore, as tides rise and waves move throughout the offshore it spins these turbines. Although Marine Renewable Energy is a new renewable resource sector compared to solar and wind power, it is gaining more popularity and companies have begun adopting this new promising technology.

RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES

The survey responses and the interviews illustrated that these small coastal communities need a technology that is user-focused, durable and boosts community engagement. Creating a user-focused product ensures that there is a gap for small modular marine renewable energy technology. Often the technology in this space is engineered to power larger towns or cities. As such, using a network of smaller units similar to utilising a lot of solar cells to create one solar panel would be incredibly beneficial for the community. This will allow the user to purchase as many units as they require, allowing it to be scaled up or down. To create something durable is incredibly difficult when the context is the ocean. The ocean is an unforgiving environment that loves to corrode materials and destroy mechanical components. Therefore, the product must be built with materials that are fit for purpose by avoiding materials that cannot be repaired or are difficult to replace.

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RESEARCH BACKGROUND AND FINDINGS
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MANUFACTURING AND MATERIALS

FUNCTIONALITY AND FEATURES

SOLAR GENERATION AND STATUS LED

The NDA’s battery unit’s main purpose is to harness as much power as possible. This will allow the communities to have a surplus of energy. Therefore, the design incorporated four solar panels that have Maxeon Gen 3 solar cells. These solar cells are 24% efficient resulting in being some of the highest performing cells for the cost, making it a perfect solution for the communities. Furthermore, the outer module will have a series of LEDs around the sides. These LEDs will display the status of the module. If the battery module detects an issue with its battery management system or the turbines these lights will turn red. Moreover, it allows ships and other communities to see it at night, allowing them to avoid the unit.

STATUS LED AND WET MATE CONNECTOR

On the control panel, there will be a series of wet-mate socket connectors, LEDs, and a display panel. The wet mate connector is a specialised connector for ocean electronics. It allows the terminals to be exposed to water without short-circuiting, as the terminals are covered in an oil-like texture. This allows maintenance to be extremely easy to perform as they do not need to unscrew any panels or replace any O-rings. Surrounding each wet mate electronic connector will be a status LED. These LEDs will retrieve information from the Marine Kinetic Energy turbine beneath the surface. This connector relays important performance information, and if an issue is detected, it sends a signal to the battery unit, causing the LED to illuminate red. As a result, maintenance becomes easier, as the user can quickly identify which turbine has encountered a fault.

UNIVERSAL DIRECTION

As the ocean is unpredictable and the direction of the current is forever changing, the NDA has a universal joint that allows it to always be pointed in the optimal possible for maximum power generation. This universal joint will be made using aluminium, ensuring that it will be anti-corrosive. Furthermore, the universal joint will be connector to a helical turbine to allow it to produce the most amount of power with it spinning slowly due to its smaller wing profile.

STATUS LED AND MAGNETIC TURBINE

The NDA turbine has a status LED that allows it to be easily seen underwater. It will also display the state of the turbine similar to the battery unit. This allows the user to look at the battery unit to see which turbine has an issue and see a red LED illuminated on the turbine itself. This LED will sit on its own PCB surrounded by a copper coil. This copper coil is crucial for the successful execution of the product. This will use the magnet that is embedded in the turbine’s skin to produce a magnetic field. This magnetic field will keep the turbine centred and generate power without any friction. Given the ocean’s unforgiving environment, reducing parts susceptible to sand damage is crucial, which is why ball bearings were omitted in favour of a magnetic turbine design.

INNOVATIVE MATERIALS

The NDA’s purpose was to create jobs and foster innovation within these communities, to not only give them new knowledge into rising technology but to create a new stream of income. Therefore, the design used one of their most abundant resources: coconut coir. The coconut coir is the outer fibre that surrounds the coconut. By transforming this fibre into a sheet similar to carbon fibre and casting it in resin, it’s possible to create complex geometries, such as the turbine’s outer casing, in a way that is both cost-effective and corrosion-resistant.

PORTABILITY AND SCALE

The NDA measures 1.1 metres in length with 400mm of the product being the mooring spike which anchors the device to the seabed. The 400mm depth allows it to be securely placed in sand without any chance of it moving. 600mm of it will be exposed to the water allowing it to be placed in shallow water like the offshore sites. This allows it to be closer to the shoreline reducing the time it will take to perform maintenance or bring in the outdoor battery storage, making it more efficient to power the small communities.

FINAL RENDERS

FINAL MODEL

The final model was created using PLA FDM printing for the turbine and the main housing top cap. Blade filler was applied to the whole piece and sanded multiple times to minimise layer lines, creating a smooth finish on the final model. It was then sprayed with a primer filler and sanded to give a nice surface for the paint. To achieve a glossy smooth surface that represented the yellow colour desired, five coats of paint were used. The mooring spike and the universal joint were printed using acrylic as there were multiple intricate details. This was then sanded and the universal joint was painted with a gloss silver and the mooring spike was painted with a flat black finish.

FOAM PROTOTYPING

Foam prototyping was used extensively throughout the design process because it allowed for quick assessments of form and scale. The initial foam prototypes affected the battery module, which was designed to look like a fuel tank to give a nostalgic feel. However, it was evident that making cylindrical battery storage was impractical, as most battery modules are rectangular. This would result in the design costing more to produce as it would use more material. Foam modelling was also used for the initial design of the turbine, revealing that the curvature of the fins was not appropriate for underwater applications. The foam model was then used for a one-to-one scale, providing insight into the product’s overall size. From here it was discovered that the initial design was far too large to be a practical portable solution.

Ethan Wallen

Ethan Wallen is a passionate and driven Industrial Design and Mechatronics Engineering student who loves to tackle complex and intricate challenges. With a commitment to always give his best and commit to excellence, Ethan is dedicated to designing innovative products to push the boundaries of functionality and aesthetics. His love for anything mechanical and seeing how small parts can come together to make a harmonious system fuels his passion. Ethan brings a unique blend of technical skills, ambition, creativity and determination to every project.