CorPower Ocean wins world-first wave energy certification

CorPower Ocean has announced that it has been awarded a prototype certificate from independent assurance body DNV for its Wave Energy Converter.

Claimed as a world first for the sector, the company believes it signifies an important shift in the move towards utility-scale wave energy.

The certification was awarded under DNV-SE-0120 after independent verification and confirms the system meets DNV’s requirements in terms of structural strength, reliability and safety.

The certification process takes seven years and starts with establishing the design basis for the CorPower C4.

According to CorPower Ocean, the process involves DNV reviewing and accepting concept development, engineering, structural strength and fatigue analysis, manufacturing, assembly, dry testing, installation, operations and maintenance, and device performance in extreme conditions.

Storm resilient

More specifically, the device must withstand and function in storm waves of up to 18.5 metres.

In a statement, CorPower said the certification establishes “a new international benchmark for the wave energy industry” and reduces technology risk, thereby unlocking project finance and investment.

CorPower Ocean co-founder and CEO Patrik Möller said this marks a milestone for the company and the sector at large. “It moves wave energy from being a promising technology to being a proven and bankable one.”

Also of interest:
Site visit: Preparing wave energy farms of the future

Claudio Bittencourt Ferreira, project manager at DNV Renewables Certification, concurs: “It marks an important stepping stone in the realisation of commercial wave energy,” adding that DNV has been supporting the sector for over 20 years.

Santiago Gil of Santander Alternative Investments added: “CorPower Ocean’s determination to make wave energy not only scalable but bankable has been consistently demonstrated throughout its development journey.

Reducing risk

“This certification validates years of rigorous engineering work, significantly reduces technology risk and further strengthens the path towards commercial deployment at scale.” 

The news comes as CorPower Ocean advances its first two industrial wave farms, in Portugal and Scotland.

In Portugal, the HiWave-5 project is grid-connected at Aguçadoura and aims to deliver a wave energy solution competitive with wind and solar by 2030.

Read more: 
You can’t rush a Biscay breakthrough in marine energy
Orkney: small islands with global ambitions for marine energy
Why Portugal offers the perfect playground for wave energy developers

Viana Wave, an expansion of the HiWave-5 installation, will leverage existing infrastructure to ultimately become a 10MW wave energy farm.

In Scotland, CorPower Ocean’s Valiant project aims to establish the UK’s most advanced wave energy farm at EMEC’s Billia Croo site in Orkney, Scotland. The project is supported by a €19 million ($22 million) EU Horizon Europe grant and will function as a 5MW standalone wave farm.