CalWave successfully concludes wave energy pilot off California

CalWave Power Technologies Inc announced it has successfully completed an open-ocean wave energy pilot of its x1 device, utilising the xWave technology, off the coast of San Diego, California.

The California-based wave energy developer said in a statement that the pilot verified its xWave system “as effective for overcoming the key challenges of performance, reliability, survivability, and cost.”

The device has now been recovered and decommissioned and the findings gathered over 10 months of continuous operation will be used to inform the next grid-connected deployment at the federally-approved, 20-MW PacWave wave energy test site off the coast of Newport, Oregon.

“Our pilot of the x1 provided us with critical results necessary to advance on the path towards commercialisation,” commented co-founder and CEO Marcus Lehmann.

According to CalWave, this demo was California’s first at-sea, long-duration wave energy project.

In January 2022, the company won a USD-7.5-million (EUR 7.5m) grant from the US Department of Energy to further develop its technology. It was contracted to build a 100-kW version of the xWave architecture for a two-year deployment at PacWave South.

(USD 1 = EUR 1.001)

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