New IEA-OES report spotlights advances in wave energy sector

Outlook & Strategy

June 7, 2023, by Amir Garanovic

Ocean Energy Systems (OES), a technology collaboration program within the International Energy Agency (IEA), has released a summary of the recent progress made in the wave energy industry around the world.

Illustration/CalWave’s wave energy device after recovery (Courtesy of CalWave Power Technologies)

The wave energy industry is experiencing significant progress and growth, with multiple devices either in fabrication or preparing for deployment.

This trend demonstrates the industry’s continued expansion and potential, with breakthroughs in wave energy technology that led to the integration of innovative features into new prototypes, according to IEA-OES.

Developers are gaining a better understanding of how their technologies operate at sea and are progressing towards larger prototypes designed for utility-scale power arrays. Ongoing efforts are focused on enhancing their performance, cost effectiveness and reliability, the report states.

Some of the companies profiled in the IEA-OES brochure include CalWave Power Technologies, which has recently concluded 10-month open-ocean testing of its wave energy device in the United States; Wave Swell Energy’s King Island wave energy project that was successfully concluded after running for two years; C-Power with its SeaRAY autonomous offshore power system (AOPS) that will be put through its paces soon at US Navy’s Wave Energy Test Site; and Eni with Politecnico di Torino and Wave for Energy, which have collaborated to deploy ISWEC wave energy device off the island of Pantelleria in the Mediterranean sea.

“The wave energy industry is witnessing the development of larger systems, as well as kilowatt-scale power solutions to meet the needs of underwater vehicles, subsea operating equipment, and offshore data communications networks.

“Wave energy developers are unlocking innovation in critical offshore industries such as defense, aquaculture, science and research, and communications. These advancements have the potential to bring profound changes in the maritime industry, fostering sustainable and efficient offshore operations,” IEA-OES said.