An innovative project in the waters around Perth’s Garden Island in Australia is set to demonstrate the co-production of renewable energy and desalinated water.
Australia’s minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson, has announced $10 million of funding for the Perth Wave Energy Project, which is being developed by Carnegie Wave Energy. The project will demonstrate the company’s CETO technology, which converts wave energy into electricity and desalinated water.
“With the government’s assistance through the Emerging Renewables Programme, this $31 million pilot project will demonstrate the potential for Carnegie’s Australian invented and owned CETO technology to provide up to 2 MW of energy to the electricity grid,” minister Ferguson said.
“This technology not only has the potential to increase investor confidence in wave projects and help unlock Australia’s untapped wave energy resource, but it could also produce zero emission desalinated seawater, which on a dry continent such as Australia is a significant additional attraction.”
Melissa Parke, the member for Fremantle, welcomed the announcement of funding to Carnegie. “This grant will now allow detailed design work to commence and further community consultation. It is anticipated that power could be delivered into the grid by the end of next year.”
The Western Australian government is providing $5.5 million to this stage of the project.
The CETO wave energy converter is a fully-submerged device that produces a stream of water under high pressure. This water is piped ashore and can be used to generate electricity through a hydroelectric turbine, and fresh water through a standard reverse osmosis desalination system. CETO converters are permanently anchored to the sea floor and self-tune to tidal and wave patterns.
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