Professional presentations: “Demonstration of a wave-powered desalination system in cape verde”

Abstract

Over 1 billion people suffer from the effects of water scarcity with the majority being poor residents of developing countries. Desalting seawater is an excellent potential solution but reverse osmosis (R/O) desalination systems require a connection to a strong electrical grid. However, because developing countries typically lack sufficient electrical grid capacity and cannot afford the capital or time required to build and deploy traditional R/O systems, Resolute Marine has developed an innovative solution to this problem — a wave-driven desalination system (called Wave2O™) that can be deployed quickly, operate completely “off-grid” and supply large quantities of fresh water at competitive cost. A location for a pilot-scale Wave2O™ plant in Cape Verde has been secured and the site assessment studies, e.g. bathymetric surveys, wave energy assessment, and water quality assessment, started in Q2 2017 financed by the African Development Bank through a $1.0M SEFA (Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa) grant. During his presentation at the IHTC, Bill Staby will provide details of the Wave2O™ system and of the Cape Verde pilot project.