Wave power goes mega-scale
Portugal gets set to tap the power of the ocean in a new wave energy project.
Eco Wave Power has officially launched its first project to tap the ocean's power at a megawatt-scale.
Unlike solar and wind, waves can provide a constant source of green energy and Eco Wave Power captures this via large 'floaters' that sit on the ocean's surface.
The World Economic Forum says that wave energy theoretically has the potential to meet all of the world’s annual electricity needs. But its development been stalled by logistical challenges presented by strong ocean currents and poor access to the power grid.
Eco Wave Power’s solution differs from most other wave power generators because its ‘floaters’ attach to man-made coastal structures such as piers. According to the Swedish startup, this makes it less costly to maintain and connect to the grid and also limits its negative environmental impact.
The company says its newest project will be located in the Portuguese city of Porto and as its first MW-scale wave energy project, marks a significant step forward for the commercialisation of wave energy technology.
"This will be the first wave energy project in the world to show significant energy production from the power of the waves."
Eco Wave Power, a recipient of a United Nations’ Global Climate Action Award in 2023, has been operating a grid connected wave energy pilot project in Israel – the country’s first grid-connected wave energy system. Soon it will also begin installation of a demonstration project in the Port of Los Angeles.
Its most recent venture in Portugal will help the country to achieve its ambitious renewable energy goal to generate 85% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
The project was formally kicked off this month by Eco Wave Power founder and CEO Inna Braverman and her engineering team as she toured the breakwater where the equipment will be installed.
Wave museum
Construction approval for the project was granted in March 2024 and will include the world’s very first wave-energy museum and education centre.
"This will be the first wave energy project in the world to show significant energy production from the power of the waves,” Braverman said.
“This revolutionary project will position Eco Wave Power as a leading wave energy developer and serve as a significant milestone towards the commercialisation of our wave energy technology globally.”
Eco Wave Power has received funding from the European Union Regional Development Fund, Innovate UK, and the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 framework program.
Eco Wave Power’s wave floaters attache to existing land-based infrastructure such as piers, jetties and breakwaters, lowering the cost of maintenance and boosting accessibility to the grid. These floaters sit in the ocean and draw clean energy by converting the rising and falling motion of waves. As the floaters move, they compress and decompress hydraulic pistons which transmit bio-degradable hydraulic fluid into land-based accumulators. In the accumulators, the pressure builds and rotates a hydraulic motor which in turn rotates a generator with the resulting electricity transferred into the grid via an inverter.
