Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ReWater (Offshore renewable and clean desalination of sea water)
Período documentado: 2023-08-01 hasta 2025-03-31
Globally, over 1.5 billion people live in areas facing high or extreme water stress. More than 300 million people already depend on seawater desalination to meet their freshwater needs—a number expected to triple by 2050. Yet, conventional onshore desalination remains constrained by several systemic challenges: high energy consumption and CO2 emissions, brine discharge near ecologically sensitive coastlines, long permitting and construction timelines, land requirements in space-constrained areas, and high capital and operational costs.
Ocean Oasis, a Norwegian technology company, is addressing these limitations with a floating offshore desalination system powered entirely by wave energy. The autonomous buoys are deployed 1–5 km offshore, operate without external energy input, and ensure environmentally safe brine dispersion in deeper waters. Each unit is engineered for a 25-year lifespan and designed forefficency, maintainability, and ease of deployment using standard offshore methods.
Ocean Oasis provides freshwater through long-term supply contracts, retaining ownership and operational responsibility of the units. This model enables customers—such as utilities, municipalities, or industrial users—to secure a resilient water supply without up-front infrastructure investment or access to grid.
The EIC Accelerator-funded ReWater project supports the technical refinement, full-scale testing, and market preparation needed for commercial rollout. The first units are planned for deployment in Gran Canaria, with future scaling focused on island and coastal regions facing structural water and energy constraints.
Project website: https://www.oceanoasis.co/projects/pilot-buoy-project-rewater-in-las-palmas/(se abrirá en una nueva ventana)
Ocean Oasis, a Norwegian technology company, is addressing these limitations with a floating offshore desalination system powered entirely by wave energy. The autonomous buoys are deployed 1–5 km offshore, operate without external energy input, and ensure environmentally safe brine dispersion in deeper waters. Each unit is engineered for a 25-year lifespan and designed forefficency, maintainability, and ease of deployment using standard offshore methods.
Ocean Oasis provides freshwater through long-term supply contracts, retaining ownership and operational responsibility of the units. This model enables customers—such as utilities, municipalities, or industrial users—to secure a resilient water supply without up-front infrastructure investment or access to grid.
The EIC Accelerator-funded ReWater project supports the technical refinement, full-scale testing, and market preparation needed for commercial rollout. The first units are planned for deployment in Gran Canaria, with future scaling focused on island and coastal regions facing structural water and energy constraints.
Project website: https://www.oceanoasis.co/projects/pilot-buoy-project-rewater-in-las-palmas/(se abrirá en una nueva ventana)
During the ReWater project, Ocean Oasis successfully advanced its wave-powered desalination solution by validating its MVP to a pre-commercial configuration, through a combination of engineering refinement, subsystem testing, and field trials.
Key work performed includes:
Pilot testing: The full-scale prototype "Gaia" was tested in Gran Canaria over multiple campaigns, validating all major systems including the power take-off, control software, and the desalination process, generating robust operational data under varied wave conditions.
Subsystem optimization: Power take off, hydraulic systems and reverse osmosis systems were refined for reliability, modularity, and maintainability. Critical components were stress-tested, and design improvements were implemented to reduce wear, improve ease of maintenance, and extend operational life.
Process and instrumentation: The instrumentation and control architecture was designed, including an onboard PLC and a scalable remote monitoring platform, ensuring autonomous operation and readiness for multi-unit supervision from a central control center.
Wave resource modelling and design adaptation: Hydrodynamic analysis tools were validated through new model tests. Buoy response in production and survival seastates, and the evoulution of wave fields over coastal bathymetries were investigated using both well established and state-of the -art CFD analysis tools, enabling optimization of buoy dimensions and accurate prediction of expected production performance for target markets.
Manufacturing and construction planning: Hull construction strategies were developed. Modularization of the desalination process was adopted to streamline future deployments.
These achievements have de-risked the core technology, validated critical assumptions on performance and durability, and positioned Ocean Oasis for the pre-commercial phase, where the first commercial units will be deployed and connected to an off-taker in Gran Canaria.
Key work performed includes:
Pilot testing: The full-scale prototype "Gaia" was tested in Gran Canaria over multiple campaigns, validating all major systems including the power take-off, control software, and the desalination process, generating robust operational data under varied wave conditions.
Subsystem optimization: Power take off, hydraulic systems and reverse osmosis systems were refined for reliability, modularity, and maintainability. Critical components were stress-tested, and design improvements were implemented to reduce wear, improve ease of maintenance, and extend operational life.
Process and instrumentation: The instrumentation and control architecture was designed, including an onboard PLC and a scalable remote monitoring platform, ensuring autonomous operation and readiness for multi-unit supervision from a central control center.
Wave resource modelling and design adaptation: Hydrodynamic analysis tools were validated through new model tests. Buoy response in production and survival seastates, and the evoulution of wave fields over coastal bathymetries were investigated using both well established and state-of the -art CFD analysis tools, enabling optimization of buoy dimensions and accurate prediction of expected production performance for target markets.
Manufacturing and construction planning: Hull construction strategies were developed. Modularization of the desalination process was adopted to streamline future deployments.
These achievements have de-risked the core technology, validated critical assumptions on performance and durability, and positioned Ocean Oasis for the pre-commercial phase, where the first commercial units will be deployed and connected to an off-taker in Gran Canaria.
ReWater has delivered a breakthrough in offshore desalination by demonstrating the first full-scale floating unit capable of producing freshwater using wave energy alone. The Ocean Oasis system eliminates the need for external power, minimizes environmental impact, and complements land-based desalination solutions.
Key innovations include:
-A power take-off system optimized for reliability and offshore maintainability,
-A patented hybrid desalination process with integrated energy recovery for high efficiency and operational flexibility,
-A data-driven control platform enabling autonomous operation and centralized supervision.
These results enable emission-free desalination in locations with limited land, grid access, or permitting capacity. They open new market pathways in islands, coastal cities, and arid regions.
Further development will include:
-Demonstration of multi-unit deployment and operational continuity,
-Access to project finance and risk-sharing instruments,
-Continued regulatory alignment for offshore permitting and water quality approvals.
Ocean Oasis is now positioned to enter the pre-commercial phase, with a defined roadmap for scale-up starting in Gran Canaria.
Key innovations include:
-A power take-off system optimized for reliability and offshore maintainability,
-A patented hybrid desalination process with integrated energy recovery for high efficiency and operational flexibility,
-A data-driven control platform enabling autonomous operation and centralized supervision.
These results enable emission-free desalination in locations with limited land, grid access, or permitting capacity. They open new market pathways in islands, coastal cities, and arid regions.
Further development will include:
-Demonstration of multi-unit deployment and operational continuity,
-Access to project finance and risk-sharing instruments,
-Continued regulatory alignment for offshore permitting and water quality approvals.
Ocean Oasis is now positioned to enter the pre-commercial phase, with a defined roadmap for scale-up starting in Gran Canaria.