October 20, 2022 – Announced by the National Hydropower Association during the 2022 Clean Currents conference, CalWave received the 2022 Outstanding Stewards of America’s Waters (OSAW) Award in the category of Operational Excellence.

The category of Operational Excellence recognizes waterpower projects that add value to the industry through technical contributions, innovation, engineering, or technology breakthroughs for new hydropower or marine energy technologies.

CalWave’s xWave™ proved its ability to efficiently generate clean electricity from ocean waves for 10 months. This milestone event marks California’s first at-sea, long-duration wave energy pilot operating fully submerged and is now the longest running, continuously deployed wave energy project ever offshore the continental U.S. 

The objectives for the pilot included testing and validating installation procedures, operations, autonomous controls, performance, reliability, and survivability of CalWave’s xWave™ system in open ocean. The device survived two ten-year storm events during the demonstration and utilized remote inspection and a digital twin feature to monitor the health of the system in real-time, also allowing for cost-benefits information.

CalWave collaborated with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to deploy several technologies around the device to collect environmental monitoring data and real-time information about the wave energy converter’s operating status during the performance test. Other key operational and research partners collaborating with CalWave on this project included the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, DNV GL, and UC Berkeley.

“CalWave has been a long-time member of NHA, and we are grateful for the critical support that NHA provides for the marine and hydropower industry,” said Marcus Lehmann, CEO & Co-Founder, CalWave. “This award represents a shared victory for the industry and we are honored to be working together to deploy our reliable, cost-effective technology at scale in the coming years.”

About CalWave
Founded in 2014, CalWave is a California-based wave energy developer on a mission to provide reliable and cost-effective ocean wave technologies for sustainable energy access. CalWave’s vision is to unlock the power of ocean waves to secure a clean energy future.

The company is a member of the International Electrotechnical Commission’s U.S. Shadow Committee for international standards on marine energy, and a member of NHA’s Marine Energy Council, which is calling for domestic marine energy deployment targets of 500 MW by 2030 and 1 GW by 2035.

About the Outstanding Stewards of America’s Waters Awards

In 1994, the National Hydropower Association (NHA) created the Hydro Achievement Awards to recognize organizations and projects committed to excellence in the development and operation of hydropower. In 1999, NHA added the Outstanding Stewardship of America’s Rivers (OSAR) Report to profile the best examples of hydropower’s ability to generate clean, renewable, reliable and affordable electricity while protecting the riverine ecosystem. Beginning in 2007, these two recognition programs were merged to more effectively provide recognition to deserving organizations and to reflect the changing nature of the hydropower industry, particularly the fact that hydropower can be used in various waterways. The new award program is called the Outstanding Stewards of America’s Waters (OSAW).

OSAW Awards are given out in three distinct categories:

  • Operational Excellence: projects that add value to the hydropower industry through technical contributions, innovation, engineering, upgrades and improvements or technology breakthroughs for new hydropower technologies
  • Recreational, Environmental & Historical Enhancement: projects that provide enhanced recreational opportunities for the general public, offer measurable benefits that mitigate, conserve, preserve, or enhance the natural resources, or conserve historical aspects of hydropower facilities and their integration with the surrounding community.
  • Public Education: programs that effectively communicate and promote the benefits of hydropower through mediums such as curriculum, learning centers, videos or outreach programs.

Learn more about these outstanding endeavors, both past and present, at www.hydro.org/osaw.

Contact
Julie Mai
Head of Communications & Public Affairs
julie@calwave.energy
www.calwave.energy/pressroom
(657) 243-0112‬