Tel Aviv-based company will supply wave-energy power to Israeli power grid

Israeli company Eco Wave Power, announced it has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Israeli National Electric Company (IEC) to connect its wave-energy power plant to the Israeli electric grid in at the end of 2023.

The new project, located at the Jaffa Port near Tel Aviv, will primarily provide electricity to meet local needs, while the agreement allows Eco Wave Power to sell electricity generated from ocean waves to IEC for a period of 20 years. The IEC will perform a grid synchronization test before the power station is officially connected.

The company’s first project in Israel represents a partnership between the Israeli government and French National Energy supplier EDF (Electricite De France). 

Eco Wave Power, founded in 2011 by Ukrainian-born Inna Braverman, has developed an innovative technology for producing clean electricity from ocean and sea waves using floaters attached to existing man-made structures. This system simplifies installation and maintenance and reduces costs by using pre-existing structures. 

Clean electricity is by using floaters that move up and down with the waves, creating hydraulic pressure. This pressure rotates a hydraulic motor, which rotates the generator, and the resulting electricity is then transferred to the grid via an inverter. 

“The official start of grid connection for our EWP-EDF One Project is a moment that we have been waiting for, as it represents an important milestone for our company and our country,” Braverman said, adding that the company is “committed to making a positive change in the world, and we can’t wait to turn the switch on at the EWP-EDF One Project at the Port of Jaffa.” 

The company has been operating a power station at the Jaffa Port since 2014 in order to test components and design. However, that system was not connected to the grid. In 2018, the company was given a grant by the National Infrastructures, Energy, and Water Resources Ministry to expand production to 100KW. 

Braverman sees a strong future Eco Wave Power in Israel despite the small size of the country. 

“There are still many man-made structures that can be used in Ashdod, Hadera, Caesarea, Tel Aviv,” she said. “Some 250 to 300 MW of electricity (could be produced), which is about 300,000 households.” 

Braverman said that Eco Wave’s solution is “100% environmentally friendly because, unlike the competition, it doesn’t connect to the seabed but only to existing man-made structures such as breakwaters.” 

She said that breakwaters are built by municipalities out of necessity. Her company simply attaches their mechanisms to those existing structures. “As such, the mechanism itself causes no damage to the environment,” she explained. 

Braverman said that future breakwaters could be designed to support the Eco Wave system, further simplifying the install process and reducing environmental impact. 

The company also has agreements to construct wave energy projects at AltaSea in Los Angeles and in Ordu, Turkey.