We believe Atmocean to have numerous advantages within the wave energy sector. Like a blade of grass in the wind, Atmocean’s wave energy array has been designed to move within a very complex and punishing ocean environment. Unlike most current technologies, our array, instead of being directly connected to the seafloor, is instead anchored at opposite ends. This reduces our impact and footprint on the seafloor, keeps costs down which allows Atmocean to remain competitive with conventional fuels, and makes operations and maintenance far easier.

Additionally, due to our modular approach, our system can be shipped in standard shipping containers. This allowing for production at an industrial scale, reducing on site operations and gains Atmocean the economy of scale. Furthermore, this allows for a quick roll-out of our system. Imagine in the wake of a natural disaster, being able to show up to a devastated coastal community with 6 shipping containers and be able to produce power and/or fresh water daily, within just a few short days of arriving!

These are just some of our advantages within the wave energy sector. However, members of the entire wave energy industry maintain overall advantages to conventional fuel sources. In our previous effort to crowd fund Atmocean wave energy for the deployment of our Peruvian pilot demonstration system, we wanted to make some short videos for the public audience in which we highlighted advantages of our technology in a fun and simple manner. Below, you will find 9 short clips, each discussing an advantage of Atmocean’s wave energy technology as short thought-provoking ideas. Enjoy!

There is an estimated potential of 3.7 terawatts of global wave energy, almost double that of current world electrical consumption. With Atmocean’s technology, we have the potential to tap into this resource and unlock this clean renewable energy source, allowing us to divest from current fossil fuels we heavily rely on.

At 6 cents per kilowatt-hour, Atmocean is competitive in price to all current energy sources, no subsidies needed, period!

With our global challenges extending beyond clean energy production, why stop there when we can also filter the ocean of plastic. Since our technology operates by using waves to pump seawater to shore, where it goes through a simple Pelton water wheel to generate electricity, we additionally have the opportunity to filter the seawater as it goes back to sea of micro plastics. This is a new concept, secondary to power generation and desalination, but we are excited by the prospect of returning the resource cleaner than when we found it. Did you happen to catch the newspaper he was reading?

With roughly 60% of the world population living within 100 miles of a coastline, wave energy benefits from a local demand for power generation. As Atmocean operates at a minimum wave height of 1 meter, it allows for deployment in most coastal communities throughout the world.

With simplicity in design, using readily accessible materials, our system can be manufactured locally, globally!

With Atmocean’s 1st array, not only do we start to generate clean energy, we stand to revolutionize the world energy market by launching a new energy source!

Although tidal energy makes progress, there is yet to be a successful wave energy project realized throughout the world (Sept. 2014)! Carnegie has since come online Feb. 17th, 2015. Atmocean is set to join with our pilot demonstration system in 2015.

Atmocean’s 1st fully functional Peruvian system will act two-fold by generating clean energy, while also competing directly with fossil fuels sourced from the Peruvian Amazon basin.

Since 2005, we’ve conducted 59 days of ocean testing in Texas, Bermuda, Hawaii, California, and Oregon; three years of analysis by Sandia National Laboratories; six days of wave tank testing at Plymouth University (UK) state-of-the-art wave tank; all of which has allowed us to develop the technology and generate the blue prints ready to go into production. With the models, pilot studies, and tests done, all that is left is manufacturing of the array and deployment

The New Mexican and the Journal of Albuquerque both published articles (Aug. Sept. 2014) regarding our technology, initial funding we’ve received, and the progress made towards implementing our 1st array in the spring of 2015.

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/business/santa-fe-company-aims-to-turn-motion-of-waves-into/article_96df0b1f-3ba0-56b7-ad9d-035a708fb3f0.html

http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/news/2014/08/25/santa-fe-company-lands-funding-for-wave-energy.html

Whole Foods sponsored a series called Thrive in 2012 and 2013 in which they covered revolutionary thinkers with the potential to change the world as we know it. Atmocean was featured in episode 6 during our developing phase and we’re excited to share it with you here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDYVUaGoB9s

In 2009, Atmocean attended the Copenhagen climate exchange that took place the week prior to the Cop 15 climate conference. At that time, our technology was designed to sequester carbon. By using waves to pump nutrient rich cold water from deeper waters to the surface, phytoplankton growth could be promoted. As phytoplankton grow and die, they sink taking carbon to the seafloor, in essence sequestering carbon. However, due to the failure of a carbon trading scheme, financing of the 1st generation technology remains difficult.

http://www.onlineprnews.com/news/12146-1258663621-atmocean-to-discuss-waveenergy-ocean-pumps-at-copenhagen-climate-meeting.html

The International Ocean Institute did a story in 2008 discussing how Atmocean’s initial ocean pumps could act as two fold, to help reduce hurricane strength while also sequestering carbon.

http://www.ioiusa.net/articles/view/141591/

The BBC wrote an article on Atmocean’s sequestration technology in 2007 when the design was first in development.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7014503.stm

Early Beginnings:

We’ve come a long way since the company was incorporated by Phil Kithil in 2006. Initially, the idea was to use pumps that would take advantage of wave action and bring colder deep water towards the surface in an attempt to reduce  the temperature of warm surface waters with the ultimate goal of reducing the strength of hurricanes, as described in this U-Tube video “Reducing hurricane intensity using arrays of Atmocean Inc.’s wave-driven upwelling pumps”. Although pilots proved successful, finding investors proved difficult. A measured side effect to these pilot pumps was bringing nutrient rich water to the nutrient poor surface. The system was redesigned as an up-welling system to bring nutrient rich water up into the photosynthetic zone, thereby promoting algae growth and carbon sequestration. Although the pumps once again proved to work and function as designed and described in this U-Tube Video “CO2 Ocean Recycling Using Wave-Driven Ocean Pumps”, it has been difficult to market a product that provides benefits on a global scale with less localized monetary returns in wake of the failed 2009 Copenhagen Climate Conference and inability of countries to realize a carbon trading program.

Waves into electricity:

Realizing that countries, businesses, and people need to see tangible economic results under current circumstances, Atmocean has since redesigned the ocean pumps to convert wave action into electricity and or fresh water, covered in “Episode 6″ of the mini series 9.3 sponsored by Whole Foods. In addition, the pumps still provide residual artificial up-welling as an additional ecological benefit to the areas they are deployed in. Benefits of this technology revolve around this invention’s simplicity in design and function. The product is therefore limited to fail and since the system acts on waves and sea water to create energy, there is no risk towards the environment that is often present regarding other sources of energy extraction such as oil, nuclear, and natural gas.

Our common future:

The truth is, we need solutions as a global community that take into account our current global energy needs and circumstances, while not putting our environment at risk. New energy sources will diversify our investment while promoting the local ecology in which they operate. We believe one of the answers to this difficult question is found here with Atmocean. In addition to solar and wind, Atmocean works to bring the globe a third form of renewable energy. With 70% of the world covered by water, Atmocean’s application of wave energy can be applied around the world, helping to solve one of our many challenges we face today.