ABOUT HAVKRAFT AS
Havkraft AS is a Norwegian wave power company. The company has developed several patents related to a large portfolio of high-tech products for cost and energy-efficient solutions for wave power production. The company holds a unique position, it has operated in the wave power sector for many years, and it offers products and solutions that have been tested over a long period of time.
Our vision is: “Being the definition of sustainable ocean power”.
It is everybody’s responsibility to contribute towards a low-carbon society. Our contribution is our goal that “Havkraft shall be a preferred supplier of sustainable, renewable and affordable energy to coastal operations worldwide”.
WAVE ENERGY
Wave energy is one of the world’s largest energy sources, and it has the potential to produce five times the current total energy consumption worldwide. All coastal regions have access to sustainable wave resources, and for many activities it could be their primary energy source within a few years.
Wave energy is a sustainable and green technology that fits perfectly in a transition to a low-emission society. In addition to being climate friendly, wave power also has little impact on life below and above the water.
Wave energy is concentrated solar radiation and wind energy and is therefore much more space efficient that the two other energy sources. Since most of the planet is covered with water, most people live close to a wave energy source. We need to use less space in nature for industrial purposes in the future. Wave power is therefore the best choice for local power production in many regions in the world.
BACKGROUND
Havkraft AS was established in 2009. In 2012 the patent for the Havkraft Wave Energy Converter (H-WEC) was registered. This solution formed the basis for an intensive period of scale tests and verifications.
In 2014 the company set a “world record” when we placed the power plant on board MS Havkraft in an open sea environment on the dreaded Stadhavet Sea. MS Havkraft produced electricity under wave conditions that the world has never before or since challenged. The tests were a success and showed that the technology has the potential to produce electricity under demanding wave conditions. In fact, the test project survived two hurricanes with over six metres’ significant wave height, much thanks to a solution without moving parts in contact with the sea.
After the tests with MS Havkraft were completed, the company proved that the technology could also deliver at the other end of the wave scale when in 2019 it managed to produce electricity at 10-centimetre low waves. The technology’s ability to extract the entire frequency spectrum at one location – from small and medium to giant waves – is thus thoroughly documented, which laid the foundation for delivering highly efficient power solutions combined with low installation costs.
With scaling documented, the next step was to ensure a delivery to a relevant market player. In 2020 Havkraft in collaboration with Marina Solutions and Ulstein Betong Marine started the construction of a demonstration plant on a floating pier. The pier was integrated with H-WECs for wave power production and was tested with success in Ålesund during the spring and summer of 2021. The demonstration proved a conversion rate of up to 30% on OWC and over 60% with point absorption and delivered electricity directly to the grid to the Atlanterhavsparken aquarium.
