1. Role of wave energy in future renewable grids

Dr Jana Orszaghova, UWA

The coast from Perth to Hobart and beyond experiences persistent, year-round ocean waves. Wave energy technologies designed to harness this energy are under development, but are currently too expensive to compete with solar and wind installations. However, as renewable penetration increases, wave energy could be a valuable addition to the future energy mix thanks to its complementary nature – wave energy peaks in the winter when solar energy dips. This talk will outline the benefits of combined wave-wind-solar grids, quantified in terms of reduced future energy storage requirements and lower CapEx.

2. Leveraging Oil and Gas Industry Experience for Sustainable Wave Energy: The D-Spar Technology

Tim Green, WaveX

WaveX is revolutionising wave energy production through its proprietary D-Spar technology. At its core, the D-Spar device utilises spar buoy design and mooring configurations that are adapted from innovations in the oil and gas Industry. In this presentation, we will discuss how technologies developed in the offshore oil and gas industry have laid the foundation for upcoming new energies. We will demonstrate how the systematic qualification approach borrowed from the oil and gas industry significantly reduces technical and financial risks, potentially accelerating industry-wide adoption of wave energy technologies.

3. The M4 Wave Energy Deployment in Albany

Dr Hugh Wolgamot, UWA

In November 2024 a 24m-long wave energy prototype called M4 was launched in King George Sound, Albany.  The reduced-scale prototype operated throughout summer, collecting data on power, motions, mooring loads and more.  Funded by the Blue Economy CRC, WA State Government and UWA, this project aimed to crystallise multiple benefits around the central mission of deploying an open-source wave energy converter.  This is the story of the project, from inception to retrieval, including insights into performance, outcomes and lessons learned.  The presentation will also touch on procurement and the (local) fabrication and operations.