Norwegian company Ocean Oasis is set to use wave power to turn seawater into freshwater, helping address water scarcity issues on the Canary Islands.
Situated off the west coast of Africa, the islands in the archipelago face serious water shortage problems, putting pressure on already depleted resources. As such, business and communities on the island have become more dependent on sea water desalination for freshwater. This new project will produce zero-emission wave-powered freshwater, thus increasing local water production, without increasing energy, CO2 emissions or brine discharge
The consortium’s DESALIFE (Desalination for Environmental Sustainability And LIFE) project will test and validate Ocean Oasis’ wave-powered solution providing desalinated water from floating buoys in deep water off the coast of Gran Canaria.
These buoys produce freshwater using membrane-based desalination technology, powered directly by wave-induced motion, with no need for grid power, any emissions to the atmosphere and without chemicals on board. The technology has been developed for sustainable use of the oceans drawing on 50 years of experience and knowledge development in the Norwegian offshore industry.
The consortium aims to have the first pre-commercial buoys producing fresh water by mid-2026.
Kristine Bangstad Fredriksen, CEO and Co-Founder of Ocean Oasis, said: “At Ocean Oasis we believe that by harnessing the power of renewable energy, such as wave power, we have the potential to create a future where clean water is accessible and abundant, not scarce. This first-of a-kind project will demonstrate our solution for the Canary Islands, and the potential to deliver fresh water to other coastal areas and island nations facing water scarcity.”
The north coast of Gran Canaria was chosen for its wave potential, operating conditions and proximity to existing onshore desalination facilities.
Low carbon power source
SLB OneSubsea has signed a memorandum of understanding with C-Power to explore the use of converted energy from ocean waves as a lower-cost, lower-carbon power source for subsea energy applications. The joint industry project, cosponsored by the US Department of Energy, will be conducted in collaboration with Subsea Integration Alliance partners SLB OneSubsea and Subsea7.
SLB OneSubsea will deliver an integrated solution, including an electric actuation system and a wireless telemetry system, for the 18-month field test of C-Power’s industry-leading SeaRAY autonomous offshore power system. Field testing will be conducted at the PacWave South wave energy test site offshore Newport, Oregon to advance the autonomous system’s operating envelope by demonstrating long-term reliability in one of the harshest ocean environments.
The project partners will collect data from multiple sources, including autonomous underwater vehicles, robotics, operating equipment, and advanced satellite communications. By using the latest advancements in subsea digitalisation, electrification, and distributed fiber optic sensors, the project partners will use the data collected to identify potential use cases for converted energy from ocean waves in subsea energy applications.
Competitive industry
Wave power is set to become cost-competitive with offshore wind by 2030s, according to a flagship study led by the two leading European universities.
Experts from LUT University School of Energy Systems in Finland, recently joined forces with the Marine Renewable Energies Lab at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. Their global wave energy resource assessment investigates the role of wave power in energy system analyses, incorporating real data from a state-of-the-art wave energy converter under commercialisation, and addressing a gap in the global impact that wave energy can have.
The study concludes that wave power will become cost-competitive with offshore wind power within a decade, with levelised cost of electricity below 70 €/MWh by 2035. Mid-term projections indicate wave power competitiveness with offshore wind power, suggesting a levelised cost of electricity (LCoE) below 100 €/MWh by 2030. In the 2030s, point absorber based wave power can reach a potential of 39,700 TWh of electricity for <100 €/MWh. By 2050, the LCoE could further decrease to <50 €/MWh with the potential to provide 29,000 TWh of electricity.
Continued research and development, market growth-driven learning curves, and economies of scale will steadily reduce wave power costs, making it attractive to investors and policymakers, the researchers explain. They add that wave power can emerge to become an important source for coastal countries and regions with high population density and other factors limiting their onshore renewable energy potential, which otherwise would have to depend on energy imports.
This research was conducted as part of the EU-SCORES project.
US opportunities
The US Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office has offered a US$112.5 million funding opportunity to advance the commercial readiness of wave energy technologies through open water testing and system validation. The five-year investment will significantly accelerate the design, fabrication, and testing of multiple wave energy converters.
Designed to reduce risks for deployments and increase the potential for commercial adoption through longer-duration demonstrations (expected to last six months to two years), it will also offer additional benefits to help quickly advance WECs. These include the ability to identify and mature high-potential WEC technologies, reduce financial risks for developers and incentivise investors, progress technologies at smaller scales while developing toward utility scale, and increase learning for installation, operations, and maintenance.
This opportunity will fund projects in three topic areas:
- Up to US$16.875 million for wave device development and open water testing for remote/offshore cases and power-at-sea applications.
- Up to US$45 million for wave device development in direct support of coastal community needs, which may include power and/or desalinated water applications.
- Up to US$50.625 million for wave device development in support of utility power needs, utilising offshore, grid-connected testing facilities.
Tapping into wave energy potential
Both the potential for and challenges of harnessing marine renewable energy sources were the focal point of recent research, looking at the integration of tidal and wave energy into national power grids. Although promising strides have been made in improving the efficiency and reliability of these systems, with innovations in turbine design, materials science, and operational strategies enhancing energy conversion rates while addressing environmental impacts, the variability and intermittency of tidal and wave energy sources still present significant challenges to grid integration.
According to research by Simbolon et al, the widespread adoption of tidal and wave energy faces several challenges, including high initial costs, technological hurdles, and regulatory barriers. Addressing these will require concerted effort from researchers, policymakers, and industry stakeholders to develop efficient integration strategies and supportive frameworks.
Regulatory frameworks play a pivotal role in shaping development and deployment. Clear supportive policies that facilitate grid access, prioritise environmental sustainability, and promote stakeholder engagement are essential for fostering a conducive environment for development.
Reminding policymakers about the critical need for supportive regulatory frameworks that streamline permitting processes, incentivise investment through financial mechanisms, and prioritise grid modernisation, the research highlights the need for clear and stable policy signals to attract private sector investment, drive innovation, and accelerate deployment.
Collaboration with policymakers and researchers is essential to navigate regulatory challenges, optimise project planning, and maximise environmental and socio-economic benefits, while the authors highlight the crucial role of expanding knowledge through rigorous scientific inquiry and fostering innovation.
Tidal and wave energy represent a promising frontier in the pursuit of sustainable energy solutions, underscoring the need for continued innovation and investment in this field, Simbolon et al conclude. By integrating tidal and wave energy into national power grids, countries can reduce their reliance on fossil fuels. The successful harnessing of ocean energy not only promises environmental benefits but economic opportunities too, particularly for coastal communities, through job creation and infrastructure development. As research and development efforts continue to overcome existing barriers, the authors believes that the vision of a resilient, clean energy system powered by the sea is increasingly within reach.
References
Techno-economic assessment of global and regional wave energy resource potentials and profiles in hourly resolution by Rasul Satymov, Dmitrii Bogdanov, Mojtaba Dadashi, George Lavidas, Christian Breyer. Applied Energy Volume 364, 15 June 2024, 123119 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.123119
Tapping Ocean Potential: Strategies for integrating tidal and wave energy into national power grids Roventus Simbolon, Widodo Sihotang and Jonhariono Sihotang. GEMOY: Green Energy Management and Optimization Yields Online ISSN 3063-1084 Volume 1, No. 1, 2024, pp. 49-65 Published by: Yayasan Cendikiawan Bersatu
