CorPower Ocean Secures Funding for Wave Energy AI Integration

Swedish wave energy developer CorPower Ocean has received funding from Sweden’s national innovation agency, Vinnova, to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into its wave energy technology in partnership with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

The WACE (Wave energy AI-based Control Enhancement) project, scheduled until November 2025, aims to enhance performance and control strategies for wave energy converters (WECs), as stated by CorPower Ocean.

Recently, CorPower Ocean completed a €32 million Series B funding round to progress its technology towards commercialization after its full-scale C4 device endured severe Atlantic storms while maintaining power generation.

“The optimal operation of wave energy converters is crucial to decrease the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and make it a viable component of the future clean energy mix,” remarked WACE Project Lead and CorPower Ocean Control Engineer, Gabriel Forstnersaid.

“The primary objective of the WACE Project is to merge AI techniques with optimal control to enhance our existing operating strategy and further elevate the performance of our point absorber type wave energy converter.”

The WACE project will utilize a model-based design framework to develop and test an AI-based optimal control strategy. A hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test setup will be employed to validate performance in real-time conditions.

CorPower Ocean anticipates WECs operating in arrays, producing large volumes of data. The project will leverage this data to refine model-predictive control strategies, combining AI with existing optimal control methods to enhance operational efficiency while upholding system stability.

CorPower Ocean’s WECs feature a tuning and detuning mechanism that adapts to ocean conditions, minimizing response during storms and maximizing power capture in regular waves.

“The concept behind this project is to utilize an established control algorithm for WECs and integrate it with AI-based techniques to enhance the overall closed-loop control scheme,” stated Forstner.

“This approach is not limited to WECs and can be extended to enhance existing control algorithms across various industrial applications.”

CorPower Ocean’s technology is being implemented in wave farm projects across the Atlantic Arc, including locations in Scotland, Ireland, Portugal, and Norway. Ireland’s state-owned energy provider, ESB, is incorporating CorPower Ocean WECs into the pre-commercial phase of the Saoirse Wave project off the County Clare coast, part of a CorPack cluster that secured €39.4 million in EU Innovation Fund co-funding.

Recently, CorPower Ocean collaborated with Norway-based OPS Solutions to develop a pre-tension cylinder (PTC) prototype, a step towards reducing the cost and weight of WECs.