California-based wave energy company CalWave Power Technologies will launch an open-water wave energy pilot off the pier of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in mid-September.
The 15-foot submerged pressure differential device is scheduled to be installed on September 13 as part of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded research and development project.
The scaled device will be installed on four gravity anchors deployed almost a year ago around 300 metres from the pier, and will then be connected to the shore via a temporary cable landing on the pier to supply the energy produced.
The pilot device will be operating fully submerged in around 26-metre water depth for six months, and according to the developers, the deployment will be the first-ever in-sea demonstration of a fully submerged wave energy system in California.
The demonstration will also include the deployment of various sensors and monitoring equipment developed with the partners in the project.
Project partners include the U.S. DOE, University of California San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Sandia National Laboratories, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and Berkeley University of California.
Additionally, CalWave confirmed it is lined up for PacWave, the first commercial-scale, utility grid-connected wave energy farm in the US that started its construction this year and is expected to start operating in 2023.
To remind, CalWave was one of the winning companies of the U.S. DOE’s Wave Energy Prize challenge, which was established to accelerate the innovation in wave energy sector and drive down the overall costs associated with the sector.
Following an 18-month long competition with over 90 teams registered, CalWave won the second place, securing $500,000 to further advance its wave energy technology.