Eco Wave Power launches first megawatt scale wave energy project

• The power station in Portugal, will turn ocean waves into 100% clean energy
• The station will start at a 1 megawatt (mW) capacity, rising to 20mW
• Eco Wave Power are also developing a 77mW wave power station in Ordu

Grid connected wave energy array for the production of clean electricity from ocean/ sea waves – credit Eco Wave Power

Eco Wave Power, creator of the EWP energy device, has announced that as of March 2024, it received permission to build its first mW scale energy project in Porto, Portugal that will present an alternative and forward-thinking opportunity for expanding renewable energy. 

It has developed a one of a kind, smart and cost-efficient technology that turns ocean and sea waves into 100% clean electricity, known as a wave energy array that is connected to the grid in accordance with the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), enabling Eco Wave Power to sell energy back to the grid.

The 20mW wave power station will be constructed and commissioned in several stages. A trial run of a 1mW station will prelude the creation of the remaining 19mW capacity of the station if seen as a success. 

Inna Braverman, EWP founder and CEO, said: “We believe that this will be the first wave energy project in the world to show significant energy production from the power of the waves.

“I truly believe this revolutionary project will position Eco Wave Power as a leading wave energy developer and serve as a significant milestone towards the commercialisation of our wave energy technology globally.” 

Eco Wave Power’s aim is to generate clean and affordable electricity, using a simple but smart design. A modular array of steel floats are hinged to piston-equipped arms, which pump fluid to an onshore generator using the rising and falling motion of the waves. This drives a hydraulic motor and in turn, powers an electric generator. 

The floaters are designed to be attached to existing land-based structures, such as seawalls or piers for easy urban integration, simplifying installation, accessibility and maintenance.

Smart design of the EWP energy device – credit Eco Wave Power

The project falls in line with the Portuguese government’s renewable energy plan, with Lisbon announcing in July 2024 that it aimed to generate 85% of its annual electricity production from renewable sources by 2030, a 24% increase from 2023, and achieve complete carbon neutrality by 2050,

Eco Wave Energy said about the so-titled Portugal Project: “We believe this will be the first commercial-scale wave energy project in the world and therefore, a significant step towards wave energy commercialization”. 

Despite the scale, this isn’t the company’s first or largest project. It already has a 100kW facility in the Jaffa Port in Israel, and a 2mW project at Port Adriano, Spain, along with a project in the pipeline for the Port of Los Angeles. 

In January 2023, construction of the world’s largest wave power plant began in Ordu, Turkey. In partnership with Ordu Enerji, the power plant is set to produce an ambitious 77mW and has an estimated cost of $150m. In total, Eco Wave’s project pipeline amounts to 404.7mW.

Braverman continued: “Even in the early steps of our company, we have contributed significantly towards creating awareness to this amazing sector, contributing to the development of the regulatory and legislative frameworks to accept and adopt wave energy and contributing to the scientific research of the wave energy field.

“EWP made significant steps, which will assist future companies in entering into this high potential market.”

According to Eco Wave Power, the return on investment of their generators is three years, with a 30 year lifetime average. This means the cost of energy production is not only similar to solar power and wind power, but energy generation is constant, regardless of time of day and amount of wind.

Braverman concluded: “Wave energy alone can produce twice the amount of electricity that the world produces now.

“Eco Wave Power is pioneering in the wave energy field, and many times being the first is not easy, but I always say that passion is the greatest renewable energy source.”