Summary

Eco Wave Power (EWP) has developed an innovative technology that produces clean electricity from ocean and sea waves. 

The company is pioneering in its sector by operating the only grid-connected wave energy array floaters in the world, which is operational under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) in Gibraltar. Upon its expansion to 5MW, this project will supply up to 15% of the country’s electricity needs.

 The project generates clean and affordable electricity, using a simple design that allows the project’s uniquely shaped floaters to be attached to existing man-made structures (such as piers, breakwaters and jetties), and thereby simplifying the installation process, as well as maintenance and accessibility.

The company’s technology has won awards, as has its co-founder, Inna Braverman, named among the world’s most influential women, for spurring the commercialization of wave energy, which could transform the world’s energy mix and help the global fight against climate change.

Construction of the wave power station was led by Braverman, who has been recognized for her pioneering work, including being named one of the 30 “Most Influential Women in the World” by MSN.COM and Wired Magazine’s list of "Females Changing the World". She was recently chosen as one of the 100 most influential individuals in the world by medium.com.  

EWP has received the Energy Globe Award, and awards from Erasmus University, SET100, Frost & Sullivan, The Israeli Ministry of Energy, Business Green, and the Women4Climate tech challenge by C40.

Key Facts

• Wave energy has historically been uncommercialized due to the complexity of extracting energy from the ocean. This project has successfully developed and commercialized wave energy, resulting in a grid-connected array that has operated continuously since 2016.
• In 2018, the station set a world record for wave energy when it clocked over 15,000 grid-connection hours.
• Commercializing wave energy has enormous potential — the World Energy Council predicts that wave energy can produce twice the amount of electricity the world currently produces.
• More than half the world’s population lives within 100 km of a coastline, and in many locations, the power of the waves is available around the clock. 

The Problem

The generation of energy is the dominant contributor to climate change—accounting for about 60% of global greenhouse gas emissions. If we are to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius and prevent the worst effects of climate change, there is a pressing need to secure new and cleaner methods of energy production.

At the same time, climate change disproportionately impacts women. The UN reports that 80% of people displaced by climate change are women. Yet, women are underrepresented in both climate change discussions, including the formal negotiations, and as founders and CEOs of companies

The Solution

With more than half the world’s population living within 100 km of the ocean, wave energy has the potential to significantly reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced in energy production, compared to traditional fossil fuel sources. EWP’s project presents an alternative means of energy production, and provides governments with a new, clean and reliable energy source to power their electricity grids.

EWP’s co-founder and CEO, Inna Braverman, strives for equality of representation, and at the company level this has meant significant efforts to hire and promote women into key roles. 

For Braverman, clean electricity is a very personal journey, as she was born two weeks prior to the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster and suffered respiratory arrest due to the pollution in the region. She got a second chance in life and decided to devote it to mitigating climate change and pollution.

Helping the Planet

Wave energy presents a more environmentally friendly means of generating energy, compared to hydropower. Generating energy from water has traditionally been done using hydropower, which is a leading renewable resource – constituting over 71% of global renewable energy production. Nowadays, the use of hydropower is in decline and research has shown that it can damage river ecology, risks displacing communities, and has negatively contributed to climate change by releasing greenhouse gases from the decomposition of flooded lands and forests. 

The electricity generated from the power of the waves does not have the same environmental consequences and wave energy systems can be fitted to numerous human-made marine structures, such as unused breakwaters. 

Helping People

EWP offers an alternative, clean way to generate electricity. The technology also has the potential to provide clean energy to locations that lack access to the electricity grid, while creating new local industries and jobs

Spillover Effect

The success of EWP’s Gibraltar wave energy power station has proven that wave energy is a viable source of clean electricity, and that it can be built in cost-effective and in a reliable manner. The commercialization of wave energy, a vast untapped renewable resource, has the potential to transform the world’s energy mix and significantly contribute to the global fight against climate change.

EWP has projects in its pipeline for the United Kingdom, Scotland, Gibraltar, Italy,  Israel, Australia, Mexico, Portugal, Nigeria and others.

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