Marine Energy

CalWave and AltaSea sign MOU for wave energy off California coast

CalWave and AltaSea sign MOU for wave energy off California coast
(photo courtesy CalWave)

Wave energy technology developer CalWave has signed a memorandum of understanding with AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles, establishing a formal partnership to work toward establishing a local wave energy industry and building projects off the coast of California.

The Port of Los Angeles is the busiest seaport in the Western Hemisphere and serves as North America’s largest trade gateway based on container volumes and value of trade. Now, with help from AltaSea, it can serve as a center of innovation for offshore renewable energy, including both wave and offshore wind, CalWave said. With 180,000 square feet of Blue Economy incubator space on 35 acres of land in a sheltered harbor, AltaSea aims to create focal points of collaboration by focusing on the oceanic fields of regenerative aquaculture, renewable energy, and blue technology and underwater robotics.

Like CalWave, AltaSea strongly supported the passage of SB 605 in California, which requires the California Energy Commission (CEC) to “evaluate the feasibility, costs, and benefits of using wave energy and tidal energy” and to “identify suitable sea space for offshore wave energy and tidal energy projects in state and federal waters.” Governor Gavin Newsom signed the bill into law in October 2023.

In response to a request for comments from CEC, CalWave worked with the National Hydropower Association to provide recommendations to ensure California benefits from a robust local marine energy sector. These recommendations include:

  • Quantify potential savings to ratepayers resulting from the integration of marine energy technologies into the California grid.
  • Provide matching funds for U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awards and investments in technology research, development, demonstration and deployment (RDD&D).
  • Clarify state regulatory processes and encourage the appropriate federal agencies to clarify federal regulatory processes for deployment of marine energy projects.
  • Encourage the implementation of market-pull mechanisms comparable to those from the early industrialization phases of wind and solar (e.g. feed-in tariffs and/or contracts for difference).
  • Encourage the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District to ensure their $426.7 million investment from the U.S. Department of Transportation can also support marine energy.
  • Implement statewide marine energy deployment targets of 100 MW by 2030, 500 MW by 2035 and 2,500 MW by 2040.
  • California is a leader in supporting floating offshore wind projects, with a target of 25,000 MW of offshore wind capacity by 2045 and an anticipated 4,600 MW of capacity leased to offshore wind developers. By implementing these recommendations, and the marine energy deployment targets in particular, the state can establish itself as a leader in supporting wave energy projects as well, CalWave said.

“We are excited about the significant potential and the ambitious targets for offshore wind in California, representing 30 percent of the state’s current total installed capacity,” said CalWave Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Marcus Lehmann. “The Port of Los Angeles will play a critical role for the construction and operation phases of offshore wind in the state. Thus, we are very excited to establish this formal relationship with AltaSea and to join the AltaSea Wave and Tidal Energy coalition as an inaugural member.”

CalWave was named a winner of the Wave Energy Prize by the DOE in 2016, and the company has secured four R&D contracts from the DOE Water Power Technologies Office. CalWave is contracted by DOE to deploy its first utility grid-connected system at the 20 MW PacWave test site off the central Oregon coast.