Commercial Demonstration Wave Energy Project, Washington State, Western Australia

Recently the Washington State government announced that it will be funding a 50 Mwatt demonstration wave energy plant along its coast. Wave Energy Developer Carnegie Corporation Limited (ASX:CNM) has advised the Western Australian State Government that it will receive $12.5 million from the State’s Low Emissions Energy Development (LEED) fund.

The planned commercial demonstration Wave Energy project has the potential to save 240,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions a year. 

Named after a Greek sea goddess, CETO harnesses the enormous renewable energy present in our ocean’s waves and converts it into two of the most valuable commodities underpinning the sustainable growth of the planet; zero-emission electricity and zero-emission desalinated water.

Invented by Carnegie Chairman Alan Burns, CETO has been under development for nearly 10 years. Carnegie was one of the early backers of the CETO technology and in 2005 swapped its minority, direct interest in CETO for equity in Renewable Energy Holdings (”REH”) plc. The creation of REH ensured the continued funding of CETO during a time when market awareness of sustainable technologies was low.

According to the company the CETO system distinguishes itself from other wave energy devices by operating out of sight and being anchored to the ocean floor. An array of submerged buoys is tethered to seabed pump units. The buoys move in harmony with the motion of the passing waves, driving the pumps which in turn pressurise seawater that is delivered ashore via a pipeline. The high-pressure seawateris used to drive hydro turbines, generating base load, zero-emission electricity. The high-pressure seawater can also be used to supply a reverse osmosis desalination plant, replacing greenhouse gas emitting pumps usually required for such plants.

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