Ocean Oasis, a pioneering Norwegian cleantech firm secured a €6 million grant from the European Union to advance its revolutionary wave-powered desalination expertise. This substantial funding will assist the event and deployment of the primary fleet of offshore desalination buoys geared toward addressing water shortage on the Spanish island of Gran Canaria.
The €6 million grant, awarded by the European Govt Company on Local weather, Infrastructure and Surroundings (CINEA) underneath the Round Financial system and High quality of Life Programme, marks a crucial milestone in Ocean Oasis’ mission to offer sustainable freshwater options. The challenge, named DESALIFE (Desalination for Environmental Sustainability and LIFE), will harness the considerable 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 assets underneath strain, the islands have more and more relied on desalination. Nevertheless, conventional desalination strategies usually include excessive power prices, carbon emissions, and environmental considerations equivalent to brine discharge. Ocean Oasis’ wave-powered expertise affords a zero-emission different, producing freshwater with out rising power consumption or environmental affect.
Kristine Bangstad Fredriksen, CEO and Co-founder of Ocean Oasis, expressed her enthusiasm for the challenge, 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 considerable. The DESALIFE challenge 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 will likely 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 services, which can combine the offshore freshwater manufacturing into the island’s water provide.
The challenge 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 Vitality Methods (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 challenge: “This initiative not solely strengthens our dedication to renewable power but in addition aligns with our broader aim of transitioning towards a sustainable, energy-efficient, and climate-resilient financial system.”
The DESALIFE challenge goals to have its first pre-commercial buoys operational by mid-2026, paving the best way for scaling the expertise to different islands within the archipelago and past. If profitable, this pioneering strategy might present a blueprint for addressing water shortage in coastal and island communities globally, all whereas minimizing environmental affect and selling renewable power use.