CorPower Ocean Secures Funding for Wave Energy AI Project

CorPower Ocean has announced that it has received financial backing from Vinnova, Sweden’s national innovation agency, for a project focused on leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance performance and control in wave energy technology. The project, known as WACE (Wave energy AI-based Control Enhancement), is a collaboration with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and is scheduled to run until November 2025.

The WACE project will utilize a model-based design framework to develop an AI-based optimal control strategy for wave energy converters. By combining optimal model-based control with AI, the project aims to improve the performance of existing control systems while ensuring the devices operate within their feasible operating range. The developed algorithm will be tested using a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) setup to simulate real-time conditions.

Gabriel Forstner, the WACE Project Lead and CorPower Ocean Control Engineer, highlighted the importance of optimizing wave energy converter operation to reduce the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and make wave energy a more competitive part of the clean energy mix. The project’s goal is to enhance CorPower Ocean’s existing operating strategy and further improve the performance of its point absorber type wave energy converter.

CorPower Ocean’s technology features the ability to tune and detune according to ocean conditions, maximizing power capture in normal waves while limiting response to storms. This capability was demonstrated during the operational phase of the company’s C4 device in Aguçadoura, Portugal, as part of the HiWave-5 demonstration project.

Wave farm projects utilizing CorPower Ocean’s technology are currently in development along the Atlantic Arc, with sites in Scotland, Ireland, Portugal, and Norway. One such project is the Saoirse Wave project off the coast of County Clare, Ireland, led by the state-owned energy supplier, ESB. The project’s pre-commercial phase will include CorPower Ocean wave energy converters as part of a CorPack cluster.

Overall, the WACE project represents a significant step forward in the advancement of wave energy technology, leveraging AI to optimize performance and control strategies for increased efficiency and cost-effectiveness in the renewable energy sector.