CalWave Power Technologies
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Ocean energy, Renewable energy |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Founder | Marcus Lehmann |
| Headquarters | Oakland, California , United States |
Key people | Marcus Lehmann (CEO and co-founder) |
| Products | xWave underwater wave energy converter, wave carpet technology |
CalWave Inc. is a US-based startup located in Oakland, California, focused on developing ocean energy solutions. The company is best known for its xWave system, an underwater wave energy converter engineered to capture power from ocean wave movements.
History
The inception of CalWave traces back to a partnership between the University of California Berkeley's Theoretical and Applied Fluid Dynamics Laboratory and the startup itself, under the leadership of co-founder and CEO Marcus Lehmann. Drawing inspiration from natural geological processes through a principle known as geomimicry, Lehmann created an underwater membrane-like apparatus rather than a surface device. This concept originated during his master's thesis work at UC Berkeley’s Mechanical Engineering department in 2012, where early prototypes proved successful in extracting wave energy.
Additionally, the team developed the "wave carpet," a technology conceptualized by Reza Alam that acts like a seabed absorbing wave energy impacts. CalWave was among the first participants in the Cyclotron Road fellowship program and utilized award funds to further refine its technology after completing the fellowship. By 2016, the company had successfully trialed a one-twentieth scale model of its system.
The xWave technology earned distinction by winning the Wave Energy Prize, standing out as one of only four teams to exceed the competition’s objective of doubling ocean wave energy capture.
xWave
xWave is a submerged wave energy converter that operates on pressure differentials and incorporates active load management similar to pitch and yaw controls found in contemporary wind turbines.
San Diego field trial:
After winning the US Wave Energy Prize, CalWave was awarded funding by the US Department of Energy in 2017 to carry out an open ocean pilot project. This initiative concluded in 2022 off the coast of San Diego, marking California’s inaugural long-term at-sea wave energy demonstration. The pilot validated xWave’s scalable patented design, which produces electricity from wave motion and delivers power through an underwater cable to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography research pier.
Oregon pilot at PacWave:
CalWave received $7.5 million—the largest portion of a $25 million DOE grant—to develop a commercial-scale pilot installation near Oregon. This $80 million effort, conducted in collaboration with Oregon State University and the DOE, forms part of PacWave South, recognized as the first commercial-scale grid-connected wave energy testing facility in the United States. The site facilitates accelerated evaluation of diverse wave power technologies to expedite their path to market readiness.
Other Projects
CalWave is progressing toward deploying its commercial-scale units at PacWave and gearing up for mass production. According to Lehmann, the company plans to function as an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), offering both equipment sales and after-sales support services, mirroring business models common in the wind turbine sector.
The firm is also addressing energy access challenges faced by isolated communities by partnering with a First Nation group in British Columbia to foster local energy autonomy.
In alignment with Alaska’s environmental and climate objectives, CalWave has entered into an agreement with the state.
In March 2024, CalWave was selected by the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nations for an indigenous-led wave energy initiative located in Yuquot, British Columbia.
Moreover, CalWave joined forces with Ys (a project developer) and Azura Wave Power through a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding to implement two wave energy demonstration projects in Tahiti. This collaboration aims to harness Polynesian wave resources for clean electricity generation and bolster French Polynesia’s energy independence.