Ocean wave energy pilot project launched off California

CalWave Power Technologies Inc says that it has successfully commissioned its CalWave x1 system off the coast of San Diego.

The company says that the event marks the beginning of California’s first at-sea, long-duration wave energy pilot project operating fully submerged.

The CalWave x1 will be tested for six months with the goal of validating the performance and reliability of the system in open ocean. The project is supported by a US Department of Energy award with the goal to demonstrate CalWave’s scalable and patented technology.

Several key partners collaborated with CalWave on this project including the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, DNV GL, and UC Berkeley.

Following this demonstration, CalWave plans to prepare for deployment of a larger unit at PacWave, the first commercial-scale, utility grid-connected wave energy test site in the US rated at 20 MW.

Source: Offshore Magazine