First MW-scale wave energy project launched in Portugal – is the tide finally turning for wave power?
What’s happening? Eco Wave Power has launched its first MW-scale wave energy project in Porto, Portugal. The project, part of a 20 MW concession agreement with Administração dos Portos do Douro, Leixões e Viana do Castelo (APDL), aims to expand gradually to full capacity. The Swedish-Israeli energy developer will handle licensing, construction and commissioning. The project supports Portugal’s goal of generating 85% of electricity from renewable sources by 2030, up from 61% in 2023. Eco Wave Power’s equipment will be installed in a room called “The Gallery” beneath the breakwater, which will later become a wave energy museum and education centre. (Offshore Energy)
Why does this matter? The potential annual global production of wave energy could be as much as 29,000 TWh, making it one of the world’s largest untapped sources of renewable energy, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In addition to wave energy, other technologies geared towards marine energy include tidal energy, sea water air conditioning (SWAC), ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC), and salinity gradient. Many demonstration projects are in the pipeline or already underway, meaning the commercial availability of wave energy is getting closer.
How it works – Eco Wave Power’s technology relies on floaters that convert the rising and falling motion of waves into electricity. The movement of the floaters compresses and decompresses hydraulic pistons to transmit biodegradable hydraulic fluid into land-based accumulators. Pressure builds up inside the accumulators, which rotates a hydraulic motor to drive a generator with electricity transferred to a grid via an inverter. The hydraulic fluid then flows back into a tank for re-use. The fully modular and scalable system can be attached to pre-existing structures, such as piers, jetties and breakwaters, reducing environmental impact.
Other wave projects – Ocean Energy USA, a subsidiary of Ocean Energy Group Ireland, has developed a different system, the OE-35, which is said to be the world’s first grid-scale wave energy converter (WEC). The 826-ton buoy, recently deployed at the US Navy’s test site in Hawaii, traps air, which is forced under pressure to drive a built-in turbine to generate electricity as the waves oscillate. The $12m project – part-funded by the US Department of Energy’s (DoE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland – has the capacity to generate up to 1.25 MW of power and will be connected to the Hawaiian electricity grid by subsea cable.
Swedish-based CorPower Ocean has already achieved positive results from the first phase of its demonstration project at the Aguçadoura site in northern Portugal, deployed in 2023. The commercial scale C4 WEC uses a pre-tension system to pull the buoy downwards while wave swells push it back upwards. As a result, energy is generated equally in both directions. The tests showed the device can tune and detune according to the sea state, limiting response to extreme storm waves of up to 18.5 metres. Peak power generation of 600 KW was also demonstrated. On-land inspections are almost complete, and preparations are underway for redeployment to verify upgrades, including increased peak power capacity towards 850 KW.
US Federal funding? – US-based projects are likely to expect a substantial funding boost with the recent introduction of the Marine Energy Technologies Acceleration Act, which would invest $1bn to advance marine energy towards full-scale commercialisation. The act would provide the DoE’s Water Power Technologies Office with funding for demonstration projects, R&D and resource mapping. The office has also said it intends to provide $112.5m in funding to advance wave technologies, including WECs, starting in September.
