Atmocean, Inc1274 Vallecita, Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States

Atmocean is a wave energy company. The design is simple; using wave action, seawater is pumped to shore where it is converted into electricity using a water pelton motor or fresh water as it passes through a RO system, operated solely off the Atmocean system. This form of renewable energy production is simple, cost effective, and most importantly, safe for the environment while acting towards our global goal of reducing our reliance on carbon based energy sources. Our mission is to provide clean cheap renewable energy and fresh water for coastal communities around the globe.

As waves pass under the array (as seen here to the right), the buoys rise. A series of free-floating platforms called Variable Sea Anchors or “VSAs” are connected by steel cables beneath the pump and provide drag to the rising buoys. The pumps located between the VSAs and buoys consist of a rod and piston, and are designed to take advantage of the resulting tension to pull in sea water and pump it towards shore. The entire array acts in series with five pumps along three separate strings to increase the volume and pressure of water being delivered on shore. All three strings manifold into a 22cm pipe that delivers the pressurized seawater onshore, where the seawater is run through a simple Pelton water wheel to generate clean, renewable electricity! Conversely, the pressurized seawater can also be diverted towards a reverse osmosis system to desalinate seawater into potable drinking water. This overall technology can be observed in the following animation.

The projected output per array is based on computational fluid dynamics modeling conducted for us by Sandia National Laboratories. The onshore flow produced by an array of 15 pumps located 1.8km from shore, acting in seas with 1.8m waves with 8 second intervals, is estimated to generate 450 cubic feet per minute (CFM). Given the operating pressure of 180 psi, and taking into account all the known efficiency factors, this translates to a rated output of 500 kW, producing about 2 million kWh per year. As with any renewable energy, we are not constrained by how fast we can dig and burn coal, but the motion of the oceans. The above calculations are annual averages for coastal Peruvian waters. Our system requires a minimum of 1m wave height to operate and will operate at a maximum of 3m wave height. Buoys will submerge in waves greater than 3m, acting as a self-protection mechanism while still using the maximum pump stroke of 3m.

Atmocean Wave Energy (“AWE”) acts to generate clean, renewable ocean energy, leading to the reduction of dependence on fossil fuels while benefiting the environment by reducing CO2 emissions. It is an ideal export product, able to be shipped in standard shipping containers or manufactured locally, generating thousands of new jobs in the countries we enter. AWE is additionally very low-cost and in most countries, economic at the prevailing wholesale price per kWh of electricity, without need for energy subsidies. The technology has been tested in over 14 ocean trials and is ready to be commercially deployed upon receipt of funding.