CalWave Power Technologies

CalWave Power Technologies, Inc. is an American wave energy company. The startup focuses on developing energy technologies that tap ocean energy. It is noted for engineering the device called xWave technology.[1] CalWave is based in Oakland, California.[2]

History

CalWave emerged out of a collaboration between the University of California Berkeley's Theoretical and Applied Fluid Dynamics Laboratory and CalWave, which was led by Marcus Lehmann, who was then a visiting student-researcher. The team developed an invention of Reza Alam called "wave carpet". This technology acts like a seafloor and absorbs wave impact energy.[3] The technology was part of the Cyclotron Road incubator. CalWave later used the prize money it obtained from the incubator to continue CalWave after graduation.[4] In 2016 CalWave first successfully tested a 1:20 scale prototype.[5]

xWave

CalWave x1 WEC Pilot Unit

In 2022, CalWave Power Technologies completed the open-ocean energy project off the coast of San Diego.[6] This pilot was supported by the US Department of Energy, which allocated $25 million in funding to support research and development on wave power.[7] Out of the eight recipients of the DOE grant, Calwave received the largest funding, totaling $7.5 million.[8] It is considered California's first at-sea, long-duration wave energy project.[7] The project attempted to demonstrate the viability of xWave - the company's scalable and patented sustainable energy solution. It is engineered as a submersible device that can generate power from waves and can transmit electricity through an undersea cable linked to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography's research pier.[1][5][9]

CalWave's xWave technology was one of the winners of the Wave Energy Prize.[10] During the competition, CalWave was one of the four teams that passed the goal of doubling the energy captured from ocean waves.[4]

Other Projects

CalWave is already constructing a wave energy facility off the coast of Oregon as part of an $80 million project of the Oregon State University and the DOE. The project, called PacWave South, will study multiple wave energy generation concepts and will allow developers to quickly test their designs.[11] Once completed, it will become the first commercial-scale, grid-connected wave energy test site in the United States. CalWave is working with seven other groups that include the University of Washington, Columbia Power Technologies Inc., Dehlsen Associates, LLC, Oscilla Power Inc., Integral Consulting, and Littoral Power Systems, Inc.

CalWave had also signed a deal with Alaska as part of the state's initiative of deploying solutions to climate and environmental issues that affect it.[7]

In March 2024, the company was chosen by the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nations project to be the technology used in an indigenous-led initiative in Yuquot, British Columbia.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b "CalWave commissions open-water wave energy pilot". International Water Power. 2021-10-12. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
  2. ^ "DOE Surfing to Cleaner Energy Grid, Awards $25M to Wave Energy Projects". naturalgasintel.com. February 1, 2022.
  3. ^ "Berkeley Engineers Catch Waves for Clean Energy". Cal Alumni Association.
  4. ^ a b "UC startup rides coveted Wave Energy Prize". University of California. November 17, 2016.
  5. ^ a b "CalWave concludes 10-month test of its submerged wave energy generator". New Atlas. 2022-09-05. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
  6. ^ Weetch, Bella (October 13, 2021). "CalWave commissions wave energy pilot". Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c Garanovic, Amir (September 2, 2022). "CalWave concludes wave energy pilot after 10 months with 99% uptime".
  8. ^ Brigham, Katie (September 7, 2022). "How waves could power a clean energy future". CNBC.
  9. ^ Zind, Tom (September 21, 2022). "The Future of Ocean Wave Power Generation Technology". EC&M.
  10. ^ Crawley, Gerard. Wind, Water And Fire: The Other Renewable Energy Resources. World Scientific Publishing Co. p. 219. ISBN 9789811225918.
  11. ^ "Energy from Ocean Waves: I didn´t know they had gotten this far". Energy Central. September 26, 2022.
  12. ^ Maksumic, Zerina (2024-03-29). "CalWave technology selected for Indigenous-led wave energy project in Canada". Offshore Energy. Retrieved 2024-07-01.