Coastal Communities

Selected

Wave2O

Producing clean water with energy from ocean waves

Team Lead

Olivier Ceberio

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Hear the Pitch

The Problem

Over two billion people lack access to clean water, with the vast majority of those affected in coastal areas in lower-income countries. Seawater desalination is an excellent solution, but desalination systems require large amounts of power. However, many of these communities are off-grid and cannot afford to build and deploy grid-connected systems.

The Solution

Wave2O’s innovative wave-driven desalination system solves this problem. Wave2O can be deployed quickly, operates completely off-grid, and supplies large quantities of clean fresh water at a competitive cost. Wave2O’s reliable system harnesses the abundant and consistent energy of ocean waves to drive the desalination process.

The solution is simple; a paddle on the ocean floor moves back and forth with waves, extracting energy. The system uses this energy to pressurize seawater that’s sent to shore to be desalinated. Because the system uses no electricity, it’s clean, modular, and can be adapted for customers in lower-income countries with little to no infrastructure.

Market Opportunity

  • On-grid solutions require large capital investment, take many years to build, and are generally only available to wealthy nations.
  • Current solutions focus on increasing the utility of water that’s polluted or inaccessible and provide relief for relatively few people.
  • The single incumbent technology, diesel-powered desalination systems which produce water at costs up to $3 per m3, can be partially or wholly displaced by Wave2O.

Organization Highlights

  • Awards: European Innovation Platform for Water Award 2016, IMERC Innovator of the Year 2015, Maritime Excellence Award 2015, Excellence in Marine Renewable Energy Award 2015, and more

Existing Partnerships

Resolute Marine has developed Wave2O with industrial partners, financial institutions, and local organizations and authorities.

  • Partnered with the Cape Verde Ministry of Finance to gain support for their pilot launch in 2020
  • Industrial partners include Parker Hannifin, Fiberspar, and Chubb, which have helped develop and test the Wave2O system with the purpose of establishing long-term relationships to support commercialization
  • Local partners such as Electra, INDP, and Uni-CV to help them deploy their system and pave the way for commercialization

Organization Goals

Wave2O is scaling their operations and building their network in the lead up to their pilots through:

  • Working with Cape Verde and other potential locations on site characterization
  • Developing an independent Board of Directors
  • Raising a Series A round in advance of project finance for particular locations

Partnership Goals

To reach the goals mentioned above, Wave2O seeks partnerships to:

  • Connect with investors for Series A fundraising round or specific project finance opportunities
  • Support additional site characterization work through grants
  • Build international visibility through the addition of one to two key board members  

Stats

Wave2O’s pilot will produce water in Cape Verde at 33 percent of the cost of current systems.

Solver Team

Organization Type:
For-profit

Headquarters:
Boston, MA, USA

Stage:
Pilot

Working in:
Cape Verde

Employees:
6

Website:
https://www.resolutemarine.com/


Solution Team:

Sustainability

Producing Clean Water from Ocean Waves

Solver Wave2O, which produces clean water with energy from ocean waves, received a $10,000 grant from Solve in 2018 for being selected as a Coastal Communities Solver.

Sustainability

Producing Clean Water from Ocean Waves

Solver Wave2O, which produces clean water with energy from ocean waves, received $10,000 in prize funding from Member Mohammed bin Rashid Initiative for Global Prosperity in 2019 for being selected as a finalist in the Sustainable Energy Challenge powered by MIT Solve.

 
 
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