CalWave joins United Nations carbon-free energy movement

CalWave Power Technologies, a California-based developer of wave energy technologies, has joined the 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact, a community that works to provide clean energy for all – powered by sustainable solutions.

CalWave’s x1 wave energy pilot device (Courtesy of CalWave Power Technologies)

The 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact includes technology providers, like CalWave, as well as energy buyers, academic institutions and national governments, among other stakeholders. It is a community coordinated coordinated by Sustainable Energy for All, the United Nations, UN Energy and High-Level Dialogue on Energy.

Its goal is to create a future where all electricity consumption worldwide is served by carbon-free energy sources, every hour of every day.

While widely commercialized renewable energy technologies like solar panels and wind turbines have kickstarted the energy transition, the sun does not always shine and the wind does not always blow.

Leaning too heavily on these resources would require the expensive, unnecessary and environmentally damaging overbuild of energy storage capacity and high-emission fossil fuel peaker plants, the California-based wave energy developer said.

Ocean waves are more consistent and more predictable than both solar and wind, and harnessing their immense power will be critical in sourcing consistent clean energy, according to CalWave, which is aiming to commercialize its technology for a variety of use cases and customers, ranging from remote microgrids to large utility-scale farms.

In pursuing this growth, CalWave has committed to several of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

For the SDGs 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, and 14 – related to affordable and clean energy, jobs, innovation, climate action and wildlife – CalWave aims to lower long-term energy costs as the world transitions to carbon-neutral society. Also, the company will look to create jobs not only directly, but through growth in related blue economy industries.

Among other initiatives, CalWave said it will work to enable powering entire cities and remote coastal communities dependent on imported diesel, while also enabling marine ecosystem research and potentially even create new habitats.

To remind, CalWave concluded its open-ocean wave energy pilot last year, after 10 months of continuous operation off the coast of San Diego in California.

The company tested its x1 wave energy device, managing to verify its xWave system, which recorded over 99% system uptime throughout the deployment.