An innovative project using wave power to produce clean freshwater off the Canary Islands, has received a $6.7 million grant from the European Union.
The DESALIFE project will use offshore desalination technology developed by the Norwegian cleantech startup Ocean Oasis to provide freshwater to the local population and farmers in the northern region of Gran Canaria.
Ocean Oasis has developed an offshore system, using floating buoys in deep water off the coast.
The system produces freshwater by using membrane-based desalination technology powered directly by wave-induced motion, with no need for external power and without any chemicals onboard.
Once fully operational, the facility will produce 2,000 cubic meters of freshwater a day, equivalent to the daily consumption of 15,000 people.
The funding itself has come from the European Executive Agency on Climate, Infrastructure and Environment under its circular economy and quality of life program.
The chief executive and co-founder of Ocean Oasis, Kristine Bangstad Fredriksen said 70% of all the freshwater in the Canary Islands comes from desalination plants and it is a “power-hungry process” in an interview.
Bangstad Fredriksen added desalination accounts for 10% of the total electricity consumption on the islands, which are off the coast of west Africa.
She told me the presence of strong local partners, who are keen to find more sustainable ways to desalinate water makes the Canary Islands the “perfect place” to test this technology.
She added a pilot buoy has already been deployed to validate to the technology at a site offshore the Port of Las Palmas.
The pilot buoy made possible by co-funding from the European Innovation Council Accelerator, Innovation Norway and other funders.
She said the offshore desalination plant is also ideal for scenarios where there is limited land available, particularly by the coast.
More than 300 million people rely on desalination of seawater for their water supply, a number that is expected to double by 2030 due to climate change, droughts, and rising populations.
“We know that there’s some accelerating urbanization happening around the world, which increases the demand for desalinated water in areas where there is not necessarily that much land available,” she added.
She added desalinated water is needed also for irrigation and agriculture, particularly in places like the Canary Islands, which adds to the demand to produce more.
In addition, the desalination process produces brine as a byproduct.
She said the floating plant discharges the brine close to the ocean surface, avoiding any harm to the local marine environment.
Other co-founders include Thomas Berge Johannessen, and the chief operating officer of Ocean Oasis, Sebastian Feimblatt, who said the density of wave power “makes sense” in this instance and will also reduce pressure on the island’s existing energy grids in an interview.
“We are using the waves to transform the seawater into drinkable water where it is,” said Feimblatt.
“Water is heavy. It’s not that easy to transport water from one side of the island to another. You need to have it locally. These floating devices allow you to deliver water where it is needed.”
