CalWave technology selected for Indigenous-led wave energy project in Canada

A California-based developer of wave energy technologies, CalWave, has been picked as the technology provider for a wave energy project at Yuquot, British Columbia (BC) with the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation (MMFN).

The Indigenous-led project, supported by funding from TD Bank Group and the Clean Energy in Rural and Remote Communities Program under Natural Resources Canada, involves collaboration with a consortium of partners located throughout Canada:

• The Pacific Research Institute for Marine Energy Discovery (PRIMED)
• Barkley Project Group
• Canpac Marine Services
• Environmental Dynamics

Currently, the MMFN is focused on reclaiming their land, reconstructing their community, and utilizing the robust North Pacific waves to support their new microgrid, aiming for energy self-sufficiency.

The MMFN project, “first-of-a-kind” in wave energy for coastal community microgrids, could potentially set a precedent for similar initiatives across the North American Pacific Coast and globally. The project is in the feasibility and design stage, aiming to collect information for the MMFN to decide on proceeding with the full project implementation.

“This village was a trade hub, a place of great wealth sought after by our European visitors,” said Azar Kamran, CEO of the MMFN. “Moving forward we want to establish Yuquot as a center once more, now in the context of setting examples for innovation in community building and clean energy development.”