Development of a low-cost, low-maintenance, Maximal Asymmetric Drag Wave Energy Converter (MADWEC).

The company proposes to advance development of a low-cost, low-maintenance, easily deployable maximal asymmetric drag wave energy converter to alleviate unmet, essential requirements in the existing blue economy sector, and create a disruption in the marketplace by providing the first economically and technically viable conversion of ocean wave energy to electricity. This proposal marries a technology opportunity developed by an acclaimed academic and research institution with an end user company who is knowledgeable about need for marine applications of wave energy converters. The company provides solutions to numerous users in the marine environment, in the form of vehicles, buoys, observations systems, passive acoustic networks, etc. Because of the company’s knowledge of this industry and its needs, it is the lead private sector firm teaming with the academic institution to co-develop this unique and novel wave energy conversion technology. In Phase I, the company and organizations are taking an existing design of a wave energy converter and redesigning it with optimal components and specifications. With the new design, the parties will conduct extensive modeling to ensure the highest levels of efficiency and performance. Commercial Applications: one application of the maximal asymmetric drag wave energy converter solution will be in providing reliable energy solutions for autonomous vehicles, especially unmanned underwater vehicles. Current power requirements and batteries rely heavily on fossil fuels and are extremely costly, and at times, unreliable. Another application will be to provide power for any buoy that requires power, or data transmission. Aquaculture is also a viable commercial market for the solution. Net cleaning, inspection, feeding, and water quality monitoring all require substantial power to operate. The solution can be widely utilized by governmental and commercial entities.