Seabased is a Swedish company founded in 2001 that markets wave energy farms.
Seabased wave energy
Wave energy is arenewable form ofenergy that harnesses the kinetic energy of ocean waves to generate electricity. Specific devices, such as point absorbers, oscillating columns and lapping waves, capture wave motion and convert it into mechanical energy. This mechanical energy is then transformed into electricity by generators. Wave energy has the advantage of being more predictable and less intermittent than other renewable energy sources. In this niche, there are Carnegie Clean Energy and Hace Wave Energy (two projects that do not seem to be very dynamic).
The Seabased system uses pylons anchored to the ground by a (concrete?) slab, inside which is a sort of pump which, I suppose, generates electricity by being driven by the buoys to which it is attached. Power from the farm’s various towers is centralized, then transmitted to the coast.
Seabased history, projects and financing
Seabased was founded in Sweden in 2001 by Professor Mats Leijon, a researcher and inventor in the field of wave energy. The company grew out of research carried out by Leijon and his team at Uppsala University and the Wave Energy Research Centre (CEWEC) at the University of Western Sweden.
Over the years, Seabased has developed and refined its wave energy technology by conducting small-scale tests and building prototypes. In 2015, the company took a major step forward by installing its first commercial wave farm, the Sotenas farm in Sweden, with a capacity of 10 MW, with the help of manufacturer Fortum.
Projects
Several projects have been announced or completed. You can find the first ones, starting in 2006, here: https://seabased.com/projects. Here are the most current ones I’ve found:
- In 2018 a contract was announced for a 100MW installation off Ada Foah, Ghana. There had previously been a 400kW test, completed in 2016. An agreement was signed in summer 2020 to “revitalize” this project, with 85% financing from a Chinese company. 2 billion was announced for the project.
- March 2021 saw the announcement of a 40MW wave farm in Bermuda.
- In June 2021, a project was announced for a 2MW pilot wave installation in Audierne Bay, off the coast of Finistère. A 10MW farm was planned in the event of success.
- In March 2023, the company announced the installation of a 10MW farm in Tonga in two phases: an initial 2MW test, then the remaining 8MW afterwards.
To find out more:
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315657035_Offshore_Deployments_of_Wave_Energy_Converters_by_Seabased_Industry_AB
Hace Wage Energy is a small French company developing a wave-powered electricity generation system that can utilize even the smallest waves created in 2013. The project appears to have stalled in 2021.
HACE Wave Energy wave turbines
Wave energy is arenewable form ofpower generated from the kinetic energy of waves and ocean currents. This hydraulic energy is converted into electricity using electrical generators installed on floating or submerged devices at sea. Wave-powered devices are designed to absorb the energy of waves and ocean currents, transforming the movement of water into the rotation of turbines that drive electrical generators. The most commonly used devices are wave buoys, submerged coils and oscillating floats. In this niche, Carnegie Clean Energy and Seabased are two examples.
Wave energy offers a number of advantages, such as constant and predictable availability, a small ecological footprint and high production potential. It can also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by replacing fossil fuels in the energy mix. Nevertheless, it remains at the experimental stage.
The special feature of HACE wave turbines is that they can recover energy from even the smallest waves. The company is proposing modules for installations ranging from 10 to 200 kW.
There are several strange elements in what is described. For example, the entrepreneur speaks of a “continuous” source of electricity, whereas swell is by no means continuous.
History, progress and funding
HACE was founded in July 2013 by Jean-Luc Stanek, a former (?) dental surgeon, and is based at Technopole Montesquieu in Martillac, near Bordeaux.
In 2016, the company reportedly raised over €250,000 on crowdfunding platform Happy Capital.
A prototype was launched in 2018 in the port of La Rochelle.
The project was the subject of additional exposure in early 2021 thanks to the fishermen of Saint-Brieuc, who are mobilizing HACE as an alternative to the wind farm they opposed, in the Bay of Saint-Brieuc.
An article in RadioFrance on April 26, 2021 casts doubt on the project’s durability. Indeed, while it has won “a dozen international awards such as the Excellence Award presented in 2019 by the European Commission as part of the ‘Horizon 2020 Instrument PME’ program, the Hace project is now at a standstill.” The president’s claims that it would be“the cheapest energy in the world” are hardly credible: if that were the case, there would be investors and, above all, development projects. What’s more, he’s talking about producing hydrogen with it, when this poses considerable additional difficulties: how would he transport the hydrogen from his platform to the mainland? Where would the electrolyser be located? Which electrolysis technology? Above all: why? In the end, it feels more like the addition of a buzzword…
You can find all the articles tracing the history of the project here: https://www.energiesdelamer.eu/2018/11/12/hace-2/
Canergie Wave Energie is an Australian listed company founded in 1987 developing a wave energy production system. It experienced serious difficulties in 2018-2019 and its activity now seems limited.
Wave energy Canergie Wave Energie: CETO
Wave energy harnesses the energy of ocean waves to generate electricity. Compared with other renewable energies, it has the advantage of being predictable and less intermittent (rq: I’ve read this several times, but it seems dubious), offering a more constant source of energy. What’s more, the immense energy potential of the oceans remains largely untapped, making wave energy a promising alternative for diversifying the energy mix and reducing dependence on fossil fuels. However, it’s still at the research stage, not least because of a number of challenges: production peaks are particularly high and, above all, there’s the problem of sustainability. The energy produced is also destructive, and it’s complicated to resist the sudden movement of water, as well as the corrosion favoured by salt. In this niche, there are Seabased and Hace Wave Energy, among others
The wave energy capture system developed by Carnegie is called CETO, a name inspired by the Greek goddess of the sea. There have been several versions:
- The latest, CETO 6, is as follows: operation is based on a “point absorber”, which is fully immersed beneath the surface of the water. This device consists of a submerged buoy located a few meters below the ocean surface. The buoy follows the movement of the waves, creating an orbital motion. This motion is then transmitted to a power take-off (PTO) system, which is responsible for converting the mechanical motion into electricity. The electricity generated by the PTO system is then fed into the power grid, where it can be used to power homes and businesses.
- The previous system, CETO 5, consisted of 11-meter-diameter submerged buoys whose movement activated pumps sending pressurized water to the side via a pipeline. This pressurized water was then used to drive hydroelectric turbines to generate electricity. It could also be used to drive pumps in a reverse osmosis plant for desalination.
The company would also offer software based on their solution, Wave Predictor, and a solution for marine aquaculture farms, Moorpower.
History, progress and financing of Canergie Wave Energie Ltd
Canergie Wave Energie Ltd is an Australian company founded in 1987 by John Davidson and Michael Ottaviano. It went public on January 8, 1999.
It appears to have been delisted in January 2019. It is said to have received a total of $200 million in funding, including grants.
The company had indeed been hit by several events in 2018: a very painful impairment provision for its CETO technology, patented in 2003, ($35M), participating in a total deficit of $64M. The Energy Made Clean company (microgrid solar production), purchased in 2016, was resold at a quarter of its purchase price. The following year, the deficit was $53 million, bringing the company to the brink of collapse. However, it was rescued by an investment of over $5.5 million, and will go public again on October 30, 2019.
The company had sales of A$302,289 and a loss of A$775,406 in 2022. These low figures cast doubt on the company’s sustainability. The company’s latest products, Wave Predictor and Moorpower, suggest that it is trying to get back on track by making itself less dependent on public subsidies.
Experiments
There has been one large-scale experiment, thePerth Wave Energy Project (PWEP). This project mobilized almost $40 million, mainly from public institutions, and was installed off the coast of Perth. A first version was installed in 2011 opposite Fremantle (a town/neighborhood? of Perth) and served simply to be studied and monitored. A second stage began in 2012, set up not far away, opposite Australia’s largest naval base, HMAS Stirling. It involved 11-meter diameter buoys, the “CETO5” technology from 2013. The test was completed at the end of 2017.
There was also a test in La Réunion, France, the La Réunion Wave Energy Project from 2011. As with Perth, it was to have several stages: the first, funded to the tune of €5M by the French government, analyzed the data and the subsequent, self-sufficient stages produced electricity. The installation was destroyed in 2014 by Cyclone Bejisa. I haven’t heard anything about the next steps.
The project to test CETO 6 in Albany (Australia) seems to have been aborted in October 2019.
To find out more:
- A very detailed internship report: https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/23113/1/Steve_Kenny_31101591_-ENG450_Carnegie_Wave_Internship-_Final_Report.pdf
- Comprehensive article: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-31/carnegie-clean-energy-returns-to-asx/11656216
- On CETO 6 and the planned experiment: https://arena.gov.au/blog/how-does-wave-energy-work/
AW Energy is a Finnish company developing a wave power plant based on a submerged panel that moves with the movement of waves near the coast.
AW Energy’s Waveroller
Wave energy is arenewable form ofenergy that converts the kinetic energy of ocean waves into electricity. Devices such as point absorbers, oscillating columns and lapping devices capture wave motion and transform it into mechanical energy. Generators then convert this mechanical energy into electricity. Wave energy offers greater predictability and less intermittency than other renewable energy sources.
AW Energy’s product is a wave energy installation several meters high, known as a “Waveroller”. Partially or fully submerged in water 8 or 20m deep, each device would have a power output of between 350kW and 1MW, and a load factor of between 25 and 50%.
The device would have an integrated energy storage system that would enable it to smooth out the device’s output and respond to strong grid variations (?).
History, progress and financing of AW Energy
AW-Energy is a Finnish company specializing in the development of wave energy technologies, founded in 2002. According to crunchbase, the company has to date raised a Series A round in 2004, for an undisclosed amount, then €15M in 2014, then €10M from the European Investment Bank in 2016. It is a member of the Solar Impulse Foundation.
Here are a few key moments in AW-Energy’s history:
- 2002: AW-Energy is founded in Finland.
- 2012: AW-Energy installs a 300 kW WaveRoller demonstrator off the coast of Portugal.
- 2013 : The WaveRoller demonstration project receives financial support from the European Union under the Horizon 2020 program.
- 2015 : AW-Energy announces a partnership with Finnish industrial group Wärtsilä to enhance WaveRoller manufacturing and marketing.
- 2016 : The company obtains a US patent for its WaveRoller technology.
- 2018 : AW-Energy receives additional funding from the European Union and the Finnish Energy Agency to support the development of WaveRoller technology.
The history of the projects, which date back to 1999, can be found at this link: https://aw-energy.com/projects/ .