Ocean Oasis, a pioneering Norwegian cleantech firm secured a €6 million grant from the European Union to advance its progressive wave-powered desalination expertise. This substantial funding will help the event and deployment of the primary fleet of offshore desalination buoys aimed toward addressing water shortage on the Spanish island of Gran Canaria.
The €6 million grant, awarded by the European Government Company on Local weather, Infrastructure and Setting (CINEA) beneath the Round Economic system and High quality of Life Programme, marks a crucial milestone in Ocean Oasis’ mission to offer sustainable freshwater options. The undertaking, named DESALIFE (Desalination for Environmental Sustainability and LIFE), will harness the ample wave energy off the coast of Gran Canaria to transform seawater into potable water, benefiting as much as 15,000 folks within the area.
The Canary Islands, located off the west coast of Africa, have lengthy grappled with water shortage. With native water sources beneath strain, the islands have more and more relied on desalination. Nonetheless, conventional desalination strategies usually include excessive power prices, carbon emissions, and environmental considerations reminiscent of brine discharge. Ocean Oasis’ wave-powered expertise affords a zero-emission different, producing freshwater with out rising power consumption or environmental influence.
Kristine Bangstad Fredriksen, CEO and Co-founder of Ocean Oasis, expressed her enthusiasm for the undertaking, stating, “At Ocean Oasis, we imagine that renewable power, significantly wave energy, holds the important thing to a future the place clear water is each accessible and ample. The DESALIFE undertaking represents a major step ahead in demonstrating our expertise’s potential, not only for the Canary Islands, however for coastal communities worldwide.”
The €6 million EU grant will fund the development and deployment of floating desalination buoys, which might be examined in deep waters off Gran Canaria’s north coast. This location was chosen for its favorable wave situations and its proximity to present desalination amenities, which is able to combine the offshore freshwater manufacturing into the island’s water provide.
The undertaking includes a consortium of key companions, together with the Canary Islands Institute of Expertise (ITC), The Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN), the Group for the Analysis on Renewable Power Programs (GRRES) of the Universidad of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), and elittoral, a consultancy specializing in coastal and oceanographic engineering.
Miguel Hidalgo, vice chairman of the Gran Canaria Island Water Council, emphasised the strategic significance of the DESALIFE undertaking: “This initiative not solely strengthens our dedication to renewable power but additionally aligns with our broader objective of transitioning towards a sustainable, energy-efficient, and climate-resilient economic system.”
The DESALIFE undertaking goals to have its first pre-commercial buoys operational by mid-2026, paving the way in which for scaling the expertise to different islands within the archipelago and past. If profitable, this pioneering method might present a blueprint for addressing water shortage in coastal and island communities globally, all whereas minimizing environmental influence and selling renewable power use.