Swedish wave energy developer NoviOcean is carrying out sea trials of its hybrid offshore renewable energy platform, which combines wave, wind, and solar energy technologies, as part of the journey toward commercial deployment.
The 10×6-meter N03 prototype has been operating in open water east of Stockholm for one month as part of a validation phase for the 850 kW Medi Wave 850H technology, in order to confirm key engineering assumptions under operational conditions and further reduce technical risk as the technology advances toward commercialization.
The offshore campaign is designed to validate the platform’s survivability, movement in real sea conditions and the interaction of its side floats with incoming waves, as well as verify that the system behaves as predicted by NoviOcean’s numerical simulations.
Furthermore, the company has signed a letter of intent (LoI) with EDA Renováveis to explore future deployment opportunities in the Azores. Subject to successful technical validation, commercial performance and regulatory approvals, the parties envisage a staged development pathway beginning with a pilot demonstration project that could lead to larger commercial installations supplying one or more islands in the Azores.
The document also notes that future projects could be supported through commercial arrangements such as power purchase agreements (PPAs) or other procurement mechanisms established by the relevant authorities.
Besides technical progress, NoviOcean has secured new private investment to support the shift from technology validation toward early-stage commercialization, including business development, partner engagement, and further refinement of the Medi Wave platform, however, no details have been revealed.
NoviOcean’s wave energy conversion system has been verified through approximately two years of hydraulic laboratory testing at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, followed by wave tank campaigns in the UK and France. Together with previous offshore prototype testing, the technology has accumulated more than 500 days of testing, including 352 days at Svanholmen, 81 days at Stensnäs, and 20 days at CoastLab Plymouth and Eccole Centrale de Nantes.
The Swedish company earlier this year signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with MIR Green Energy to explore the deployment of the Medi Wave 850H platform along the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.