Wave technology inspired by the human heart.

Inspired by the pumping principle of the human heart, our technology is informed by 40 years of hydrodynamic research, allowing for a lightweight and low-cost design that maximizes generation capacity and provides robust operation in the harshest ocean conditions.

Wave technology inspired by the human heart.

Inspired by the pumping principle of the human heart, our technology is informed by 40 years of hydrodynamic research, allowing for a lightweight and low-cost design that maximizes generation capacity and provides robust operation in the harshest ocean conditions.

Protected in storms.

The human heart uses stored hydraulic pressure to provide force for the return stroke, thereby only requiring the muscles of the heart to pump in one direction. In a similar way, our Wave Energy Converters use a pre-tension system to pull the buoy downwards. Wave swells push the buoy upwards, while the stored pressure provides return force to drive the buoy downwards. This results in an equal energy production in both directions and a lightweight system that is naturally transparent to ocean waves (detuned) unless actively controlled.

Our patented wave spring function.

How it works.

CorPower Ocean’s wave energy converters harness clean energy from the world’s largest untapped energy source – our oceans. The wave motion is turned into rotation, which is converted into electricity by generators inside the buoy.

How to implement

5x more energy
per tonne.

0 kW
0 MWh/tonne

Harvesting electricity from ocean waves.

Our Wave Energy Converters are point absorber type, with a heaving buoy on the surface absorbing energy from ocean waves. The buoy is connected to the seabed using a tensioned mooring system.

Energy stored in waves are converted into electricity through the rise and fall as well as the back-and-forth motion of waves. The composite buoy, interacting with this wave motion, drives a Power Take Off inside the buoy that converts the mechanical energy into electricity.

Advanced control technology.

Our novel phase control technology allows the buoy to be tuned and detuned, altering the system’s response to the conditions. In storm conditions, the detuned state creates transparency to incoming waves, similar to the survival function for wind turbines which pitch their blades to protect from over loading. In normal sea states, the buoy is tuned and set in optimal timing with the incoming waves, amplifying the motion and power capture. A 1-metre wave for instance is amplified to a buoy motion of 3 meters – making it highly efficient in capturing wave energy.
About wave energy

Key innovations that makes all the difference

CorPower Ocean - core wave energy technology

1. Wavespring technology

WaveSpring technology amplifies the motion and power capture. This negative spring function provides 3x increase in energy production for a given buoy size, strongly increasing revenue to cost.

2. Cascade Gearbox

The buoy motion is converted into electricity by a mechanical drive train inside the buoy. A Cascade gearbox converts linear motion into rotation with high efficiency and long lifetime. The design principle resembles that of a planetary gearbox, distributing the load over multiple small gears.

3. Pre-tension cylinder

The pre-tension system provides downward force on the buoy using a pneumatic cylinder. This replaces mass that would otherwise be needed to balance the buoyancy at midpoint, reducing cost and carbon footprint. It also makes the device naturally protected from storm waves.
CorPower Ocean - the 4th invention

4. Composite buoy

The buoy hull is a spherical composite structure designed for high volume low-cost production. A novel mobile factory concept is used to fabricate the hulls locally on customer sites.

5. UMACK anchor

UMACK anchors outperform gravity anchors and conventional monopiles in terms of holding capacity, cost and carbon footprint. It is installed with a high-speed and low noise vibro-driving method, making it friendly to marine life.

6. Advanced control

The real-time control system runs on state-of-the-art model-based optimal control algorithms that maximises the power output while ensuring safe operation in all condition.

Key Metrics

CorPack rating

0
- 0 MW

Operational range (Hs)

0
- 0 m

Buoy diameter

0 m

Spatial density

0 MW/km2

Installation depth

> 0 m

Height

0 m

Capacity factor

0
- 0 %

Device rating

0 kW

Weight

0 tonnes

Engineering.

We take a systematic step-by-step approach in our product development process. Our design principles are guided by physics, underpinned by simulations and thorough testing.

A key concept to make wave energy robust and reliable is Dry Testing prior to ocean deployment. We have designed and built the world´s largest dry test facility for wave energy equipment, rated at 7.2MW – equivalent to the power of two long-distance trains.

Using simulated waves we debug and tune the machines in this controlled environment, where we can test wave conditions from any site around the world.

How to implement

The CorPower
Ocean Roadmap.​

Our structured five-stage product verification process has been established as best practice for ocean energy technology. It involves step-wise validation of survivability, performance, reliability and economics.

2012 — 2013
Stage 1

Tank testing in scale 1:30 at FEUP, Porto, and small scale power take-off bench testing at KTH, Stockholm, which verified an average increase in power capture by 300% using active phase control (latching control), the first design iterations on buoy geometry and the cascade gearbox technology.

2013 — 2015
Stage 2

Testing of a 1:3 scale power take-off running in a grid connected ‘Hardware-in-the-loop’ test rig. Scale 1:16 tank testing at Ecole Centrale de Nantes. The WaveSpring technology from NTNU was incorporated as a new control method, replacing previously used latching control.

2015 — 2018
Stage 3

Through the HiWave-3 project the 1:2 scale C3 Wave Energy Converter system was designed, manufactured and tested, first by dry Hardware-In-the-Loop rig testing in grid connected configuration and then by ocean demonstration at EMEC Scapa flow site in Orkney, Scotland.

2018— 2022
Stage 4

Design, demonstration and prototype certification of a single commercial scale C4 Wave Energy Converter. Dry-testing in Stockholm and ocean demonstration in Agucadoura, Portugal. Taking the technology from TRL 6 to TRL 7.

2022— 2025
Stage 5

The last step to a type certified bankable technology offering will be taken with a grid connected demonstration array of four devices in Portugal. Taking the technology from TRL 7 to TRL 8