US-Based CalWave Completes Open-Ocean Wave Energy Pilot Project Successfully

After 10 months of nonstop operation off the coast of San Diego, US-based wave energy developer company CalWave has completed its open-ocean wave energy pilot project. The project, which began operations in September 2021, was sponsored by the US Department of Energy (DOE) to showcase CalWave’s scalable and patented xWaveTM technology as a cost-effective, sustainable means of energy production. In addition to being the first at-sea, lengthy wave energy pilot project in California, the demonstration is also a crucial step in demonstrating wave power’s viability as an economically viable renewable resource.

The pilot gadget, known as x1, has been located and decommissioned at this time. The results will guide CalWave’s upcoming grid-connected deployment, which is planned for the 20 MW PacWave wave energy facility off the coast of Newport, Oregon, which has received federal approval.

Experts estimate that wave energy can meet up to a third of the world’s energy needs, but until recently, technology development for successfully withstanding the hostile ocean environment has been slow. The xWaveTM system from CalWave was proven by a pilot to be successful in solving the major difficulties of performance, dependability, survivability, and affordability.

The x1 was able to withstand several severe storms during the demonstration because of the ground-breaking load mechanism, which is comparable to pitch control in modern wind turbines. As a result, CalWave’s technology could operate with 99% system uptime and no human involvement.
The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s environmental monitoring equipment corroborated the finding that there were no hazards to the local marine ecosystem.

The U.S. DOE awarded CalWave an additional contract in January 2022 to advance the xWaveTM technology for use on regional energy grids and microgrids. The 100 kW version of the xWaveTM design will be constructed by CalWave for a two-year deployment at PacWave, the country’s first accredited, grid-connected, and pre-permitted wave energy test facility.