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22/04/2025 In News

Comienza el proyecto europeo DesaLIFE de desalación undimotriz

Comienza el proyecto europeo DesaLIFE de desalación undimotriz para producir agua potable con energía de las olas en Gran Canaria.

La reunión de inicio del proyecto DesaLIFE – Desalación para la Sostenibilidad Ambiental y Vida, se ha celebrado este jueves en la sede de la Plataforma Oceánica de Canarias (PLOCAN) en Taliarte, Gran Canaria. El encuentro, liderado por la start-up Ocean Oasis Canarias, ha contado con la presencia de todos los socios del proyecto: la Plataforma Oceánica de Canarias (PLOCAN), el Instituto Tecnológico de Canarias (ITC), el Grupo de Investigación en Sistemas de Energías Renovables (GRRES) de la Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), y elittoral, consultora medioambiental especializada en medio costero y marino. Así mismo, se ha contado con representación del Consejo Insular de Aguas de Gran Canaria (CIAGC) que participa en este proyecto como entidad asociada y gestora de la EDAM Arucas-Moya, y recibirá la producción de agua dulce procedente de las boyas desaladoras del proyecto con el objetivo de recibir 2.000 m3/día (promedio anual), el consumo equivalente a 15.000 personas.

DESALIFE tiene un presupuesto aproximado a los 10 M€ y está cofinanciado con 5,9 M€ por la Agencia Ejecutiva Europea de Clima, Infraestructuras y Medio Ambiente (CINEA) en el marco del Programa de Economía Circular y Calidad de Vida. El evento marca el inicio oficial de este proyecto europeo de innovación en el ámbito de las energías marinas y la desalación, que tendrá una duración aproximada de cinco años.

El director de PLOCAN José Joaquín Hernández Brito señaló que “la transición energética en Canarias es urgente y PLOCAN está comprometido con el proyecto DESALIFE para impulsar y acelerar las tecnologías necesarias para hacerlo viable desde un punto de vista social, económico y ambiental”.

Por su parte Sebastián Feimblatt, cofundador de Ocean Oasis y CEO de la delegación canaria, resaltó “la importancia de las instituciones que nos han apoyado en el desarrollo de esta tecnología desde que llegamos a Canarias, hace tres años, y la colaboración tanto de instituciones públicas, como privadas, en el desarrollo de este proyecto, que va a permitir desalar agua con energía de las olas de manera sostenible”.

DESALIFE pretende mostrar la desalinización undimotriz como una solución sostenible y asequible para garantizar el futuro del agua de la isla, contribuyendo adicionalmente a la economía local atrayendo inversión internacional y generando empleo.

Esta tecnología flotante desala agua de mar mediante un proceso de ósmosis inversa que utiliza únicamente la energía de las olas, por lo que no consume electricidad de la red evitando las emisiones de CO2 vincula das.

El uso de energías marinas para la producción de agua desalada permite aumentar la capacidad de producción de este proceso electro-intensivo por medio de una fuente renovable sin aumentar la demanda de energía eléctrica, contribuyendo a la descarbonización de las islas y a su independencia energética.

DESALIFE se basa en la tecnología desarrollada por el grupo noruego Ocean Oasis que aprovecha la experiencia y conocimientos de la industria offshore noruega para su diseño. Esta tecnología se ha perfeccionado en la boya piloto GAIA que ha estado operando en pruebas en el puerto de Las Palmas durante el año pasado. DESALIFE avanza ahora a una fase precomercial a escala real y cuya producción será conectada a la EDAM Arucas-Moya.

DESALIFE estudiará la replicabilidad del proyecto para proporcionar agua dulce de manera renovable a otras islas del archipiélago que también precisan incrementar su producción de agua, contribuyendo a que ésta deje de ser un factor limitante de la potencialidad de la región y facilitando así la transición hacia una economía sostenible, energéticamente eficiente y resiliente al cambio climático en el archipiélago.

Jan 22, 2025

20/04/2025 In News, Press Release

Rethinking desalination: Turning wave power into freshwater using advanced offshore desalination technology

Advanced renewable offshore desalination technology developed by the Norwegian cleantech start-up Ocean Oasis
Ocean Oasis led consortium receives €6 million grant from EU
Project will build and deploy first fleet of Ocean Oasis’ offshore desalination buoys to provide water for 15,000 people in the Spanish island Gran Canaria
Zero-emission wave-powered freshwater production increases local water production, without increasing energy, CO2 emissions or brine discharge

OSLO, NORWAY – Norwegian clean-tech group Ocean Oasis will turn seawater into freshwater using renewable wave power to address water scarcity issues on the Canary Islands.

Situated off the west coast of Africa, the islands in the archipelago face serious water shortage problems, putting pressure on already depleted water resources. As such, business and communities on the island have become much more dependent on sea water desalination for freshwater.

The consortium’s DESALIFE (Desalination for Environmental Sustainability And LIFE) project will test and validate Ocean Oasis’ wave-powered solution providing desalinated water from floating buoys in deep water off the coast of Gran Canaria.

Floating desalination buoys will increase the volume of affordable and sustainable freshwater available to the local population and farmers in the north region of the island. A pilot buoy, Gaia, has been employed already to validate the technology at a site offshore the Port of Las Palmas, made possible by co-funding from the European Innovation Council Accelerator, Innovation Norway and other funders.

Creating accessible and abundant water

DESALIFE’s consortium aims to have the first pre-commercial buoys producing fresh water by mid-2026.

Kristine Bangstad Fredriksen, CEO and Co-Founder of Ocean Oasis, said: “At Ocean Oasis we believe that by harnessing the power of renewable energy, such as wave power, we have the potential to create a future where clean water is accessible and abundant, not scarce. We are honoured to lead the DESALIFE project consortium to deliver renewable powered desalinated water, with zero emissions, to Gran Canaria. This first-of a-kind project will demonstrate our solution for the Canary Islands, and the potential to deliver fresh water to other coastal areas and island nations facing water scarcity.”

Ocean Oasis’ technology addresses the challenges associated with access to affordable and clean freshwater. 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, increasing populations and urbanization.

Incorporating innovative systems

The north coast of Gran Canaria was chosen for its wave potential, operating conditions and proximity to existing onshore desalination facilities. The local population currently relies on three desalination plants for drinking water. One of those, the Arucas-Moya seawater desalination plant will contribute to the implementation and operation phases of the DESALIFE project by integrating the offshore freshwater produced by the desalination buoys with its own production.

As a result, the facility will increase production by 2,000 m3/day on average, the equivalent of the daily consumption of 15,000 people. This will be achieved without the need to expand the existing on shore plant, or increase its energy consumption, CO2 emissions or its brine discharge from shore.

The Councilor of Territorial Policy, Territorial Cohesion and Water of the Government of the Canary Islands, Manuel Miranda, highlighted the values of the project, which he said, “combines solutions to address the increasing water production demand in the Islands with an environmentally friendly alternative”.

Miranda added that the proposal is “aligned with the collaboration between diverse institutions to incorporate innovative systems to the water cycle in the Archipelago, already a pioneer when searching for formulas for obtaining fresh water”.

“The Government of the Canary Islands will continue to focus on evaluating how systems can be incorporated to not only provide greater production efficiency but also allow further deepening on measures contributing to mitigate climate change,” said Councilor Miranda.

Norwegian offshore industry experience

Ocean Oasis’ buoys produce freshwater using membrane-based desalination technology powered directly by wave induced motion, with no need for grid power, any emissions to the atmosphere and without chemicals on board. The technology has been developed for sustainable use of the oceans drawing on 50 years of experience and knowledge development in the Norwegian offshore industry.

Dr. Thomas B. Johannessen, CTO, co-founder and inventor of the technology commented: “We are grateful and feel privileged to be given this opportunity to take the Ocean Oasis technology to the next commercial level. Wave power is abundant, and a concentrated energy form compared with solar and wind power. Whereas the power of the waves must be treated with respect in engineering and design of offshore structures, the pilot testing carried out to date suggests that direct desalination is a very good way to utilise wave energy bypassing many of the challenges associated with electricity production by wave power.”

The DESALIFE consortium received nearly €6 million in funding from the European Executive Agency on Climate, Infrastructure and Environment (CINEA) under its framework of Circular Economy and Quality of Life Programme. The project will be led by Ocean Oasis Canarias, a subsidiary of Ocean Oasis, which is based in Gran Canaria.

The Consortium include key institutional and private partners: The Canary Islands Institute of Technology (ITC), The Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (Plataforma Oceánica de Canarias, PLOCAN), The Group for the Research on Renewable Energy Systems (GRRES) of the Universidad of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) and elittoral, an environmental consultancy specialized in coastal and oceanographic engineering.

A commitment to renewable energy

Miguel Hidalgo, vice president of the Gran Canaria Island Water Council, stated: “The participation of the Gran Canaria Island Water Council in the DESALIFE project, within the scope of insular hydrological planning, represents a strong commitment to promoting and developing reference projects aimed at harnessing renewable energy resources, such as wave energy.”

It is also a central objective in the project to investigate the scalability of the technology to provide fresh water to other islands in the archipelago, which are also experiencing water scarcity issues.

Once operational, the buoys will facilitate the transition toward a sustainable, energy-efficient and climate-resilient economy in the archipelago. They will also demonstrate that the solution has potential for use in other coastal communities, to provide emission-free, cost-effective sources of fresh water.

Editor’s notes

DESALIFE partners:

Ocean Oasis Canarias, a company based in the Canary Islands, is focused on offering a clean alternative to the currently energy-intensive desalination technology, making freshwater more available in coastal areas. The company is piloting an innovative wave-powered desalination buoy to be deployed in DESALIFE.

This Canarian company, subsidiary of the Norwegian Ocean Oasis, has received considerable support from the European Union, the local authorities and partners on the island. Ocean Oasis Canarias has been recently received the Emprende XXI award recognizing it as the most innovative start-up in the Canary Islands. Ocean Oasis Canarias will coordinate the DESALIFE project integrating competence in high-tech marine and offshore engineering, desalination technologies, project management and in close contact with the international entrepreneurship community.

The Canary Islands Institute of Technology (ITC) is a technology public body delivering projects and services in the areas of research, development and innovation, and advising the regional government on technological strategic areas such water and energy. In collaboration with universities, R&D institutions, companies and decision-makers of the Canary Islands and abroad, the ITC Water Department has developed and tested solutions with more than 20 pilot systems, not only coupling different desalination and Renewable Energy Sources (RES) technologies in Macaronesia, Marocco and Tunisia, but also demonstrating that the desalination-renewables combination is environmentally, socially and economically desirable. ITC leads the DESAL+ Living Lab platform, a fully equipped ecosystem that cooperates, researches and validates water desalination prototypes with a water-energy nexus and a renewable energies approach.

The Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (Plataforma Oceánica de Canarias, PLOCAN) is a public research entity, recognized as a ICTS (unique scientific and technical infrastructure) by the Spanish Ministry of Science. PLOCAN manages a unique set of infrastructures, including a hash lab and an oceanic test site, and provides auxiliary services, devoted to the development of ocean R&D with a focus on the sustainable and responsible use of marine resources.

PLOCAN’s mission is to provide a cost-effective combination of services, including operations, data and access to the Multipurpose Offshore Platform, observatories and offshore test site facilities, which address upcoming ocean science challenges and socio-economic needs.

The Group for the Research on Renewable Energy Systems (GRRES) of the Universidad of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) contributes to the specific research on the field of renewable energy, desalination-energy nexus, smart energy systems, applied energy methods and energy planning. The geographical location of the Canary Islands allows this public institution to share scientific projects, interact and collaborate with universities and research centres all over the world.

elittoral, Estudios de Ingeniería Costera y Oceanográfica is a marine environmental and coastal engineering consultancy founded in Gran Canaria. Established in 2007, the company offers services including specialist coastal studies related to hydrology, pollution and climate change effects. Enhancing the Coastal Zone Management and assessing and monitoring agents and processes in coastal environments to simulate developments and evolutions over time, elittoral has expanded its services to Africa and Hispano-America.

Aug 28, 2024

17/04/2025 In News

Model tests of the Ocean Oasis buoy

Photo: At the Océanide test basin with one of the models in the deep water basin. From left: Thomas B. Johannessen, Benjamin Rousse, Sebastian Feimblatt, Kristine B. Fredriksen, Julie Tillon, Benjamin Bailly, Winifred P. L. Johansen, Thierry Rippol and Alexandre Cinello.

For the past month, model testing of Ocean Oasis’ wave energy converter concept for desalination has been ongoing at Océanide in Southern France. A range of hull shapes have been tested covering the full range of potential future installations.

For the past month, model testing of Ocean Oasis’ wave energy converter concept for desalination has been ongoing at Océanide in Southern France. A range of hull shapes have been tested covering the full range of potential future installations.

During the model test campaign, an extensive range of buoy shapes and configurations have been tested in operation and survival conditions with the objective of validating our numerical tools and studying the hydrodynamics in more detail.

The test basin at Océanide has the capability of modeling waves, current and wind on fixed and floating structures in deep and shallow water. Together with a workshop providing high-quality models and an extensive range of instrumentation available, the facilities are highly suited for testing complex renewable concepts.

“The Océanide team has delivered excellent services throughout this challenging project and has provided a high-quality data set which will be very useful for many years”, says Thomas B. Johannessen who is following up the testing for Ocean Oasis.

The model test campaign is being conducted in La Seyne-sur-Mer, Southern France. Océanide provides model testing and engineering services for coastal and offshore applications, serving both public and private customers, as well as collaborative research projects. Océanide has a strong focus on offshore renewable technologies.

The model testing at Océanide is part of Ocean Oasis’ EIC Accelerator project named ReWater, co-funded by the European Union.

Photo: One of the models in the deep water basin.

Oct 16, 2023

14/04/2025 In News

Awarded Industrial PhD with the University of Oslo

Øystein Lande, our newest team member, has been awarded funding by the Research Council of Norway for his doctoral project under the Industrial PhD Scheme .

In his project, titled “Computational Fluid Dynamics Applied to Wave Energy Extraction in a Coastal Environment”, Øystein will focus on topics central to the further development of Ocean Oasis’ wave-powered desalination solution. He will pursue his PhD at the Department of Mathematics at the University of Oslo, with Professor Atle Jensen as supervisor together with Ocean Oasis’ CTO Dr. Thomas Berge Johannessen as company supervisor.

The Research Council has established the Industrial PhD Scheme to enhance research efforts and long-term competence-building in Norwegian trade and industry by recruiting doctoral candidates. The scheme also aims to foster closer collaboration between the business sector and research organizations, facilitating knowledge transfer from researchers to society at large.

We congratulate Øystein on his new position, which contributes to our mission of providing affordable and sustainable access to safe water for all.

Sep 29, 2023

12/04/2025 In News

Ocean Oasis raises capital in a round led by Unconventional Ventures – Grieg Edge to remain lead investor

The latest funding round by Ocean Oasis has been backed by climate tech-focused investors, with strong continued commitment from the company’s existing investors.

Ocean Oasis is a Norwegian technology growth company developing a clean alternative to current desalination approaches, that will expand access to fresh water in coastal areas around the world.

The new funding round is led by Nordics-focused Unconventional Ventures. Also joining this round is the newly launched fund by Unruly Capital. Existing investors in Ocean Oasis, including Grieg Edge, Farvatn Venture and Antler, showed strong and increased commitment through this new round. Several prominent angel investors also followed up.

The funds raised will add to the company’s effort to test and scale the offshore technology that will supply fresh water competitively to coastal communities and businesses in many locations worldwide. Ocean Oasis’ current activities are already supported by the European Union EIC Accelerator, with a €2.5 million grant awarded in 2022.

Kristine Bangstad Fredriksen, Ocean Oasis Co-founder and CEO, says:

We already see the effects of climate change on our access to freshwater, and it hits in a highly unfair way. Desalination that uses wave energy brings a new dimension and additional opportunities to supply desalinated water without emissions, at a competitive cost, and without the use of valuable land. At Ocean Oasis, we are passionate about making a difference in an increasingly water-scarce world. We’re looking for impact driven and value aligned strategic investors as we develop and scale reliable and robust new sustainable technology.

Unconventional Ventures invest in scalable impact tech companies, targeting diverse founders.

Thea Messel, Unconventional Ventures General Partner, says:

The lack of access to fresh water is one of the biggest problems faced globally as the effects of climate change and the demand for fresh water is going to triple over the next few decades. The team behind Ocean Oasis has insights and expertise needed to provide a sustainable solution and we are excited to join their mission. With their Build-Own-Operate approach we are happy to see their long term commitment to deliver fresh water in an affordable and sustainable way.

Ocean Oasis’ largest investor in terms of ownership is Grieg Edge. Kjerstin Hernes, Head of Ocean Ventures in Grieg Edge and Ocean Oasis board member says:

We have followed Ocean Oasis for a long time now as an active investor. I have enjoyed seeing the prototype being launched and working closely with the Ocean Oasis team. Their concept shows incredible financial, technical, and social potential, and we are happy to increase our investment and continue this journey together.

Mar 2, 2023

07/04/2025 In News

Launch of pilot buoy “Gaia”

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria: The Norwegian company Ocean Oasis presents the Gaia prototype for wave energy desalination that it will test at the PLOCAN test site.

Today, the Norwegian company Ocean Oasis unveiled the prototype of its offshore floating desalination plant at Las Palmas in Gran Canaria. The prototype, named “Gaia”, is powered by wave energy and will be tested at the Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN). This technology will allow the production of fresh water from ocean waters by harnessing the energy of the waves to carry out a desalination process and pump potable water to coastal users.

The launch ceremony for the Gaia prototype took place at the Juan Sebastián Elcano dock in the port of Las Palmas. It was attended by the General Director of Energy of the Government of the Canary Islands, Rosana Melián, the President of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, Antonio Morales, the director of PLOCAN, José Joaquín Hernández Brito, as well as the Ocean Oasis team and the Norwegian company Grieg Edge on behalf of their investors.

Ocean Oasis CEO Kristine Bangstad Fredriksen welcomed everyone: “We are looking forward to continuing to develop our activities on the islands. We want this day to be a celebration of our collaboration and what is to come.”

The company’s COO, Sebastián Feimblatt, highlighted that the Canary Islands “provide us with the ideal environment to test our technology both due to PLOCAN’s infrastructure, experience and location, as well as the possibility of developing its solution in a market as relevant as the of the Canary Islands in matters of desalination and offshore activities”.

Photo: The prototype “Gaia” christening ceremony by Godmother Marianne Harg

Prototype buoy

The CTO of Ocean Oasis, Thomas B. Johannessen, explained that the prototype, assembled in the port of Las Palmas, is 7 meters in diameter and 10 meters high and weighs about 100 tons. The device extracts the energy of the waves through the relative movement of two bodies and takes advantage of this energy directly to carry out a desalination process by reverse osmosis without the need to produce electrical energy, thus increasing the efficiency of the process. Gaia will be anchored in the southern area of the PLOCAN test site at Punta de la Mareta.

Local support

The General Director of Energy, Rosana Melián, highlighted the progress that the islands represent for becoming a testing platform for new technologies aimed at clean energy. It is becoming the center of attention for large companies that wish to delve into these technologies to advance the progress of the energy transition. She pointed out that all the “green” variants that can be incorporated into the energy range that the Canary Islands projects in the future “will make us take a significant leap in the ambitious decarbonization targets that the islands have set for the years 2030 and 2040”.

Gran Canaria depends on desalinated waater for its survival, and it is more important every day because of the drought. But desalination is a process that consumes a lot of energy. If we consider all the processes necessary to obtain water, this represents between 15 and 20% of the total energy consumption of our territory. In 2016, the Cabildo de Gran Canaria launched the “Renovagua” plan with the aim of reducing the use of conventional energy in the production and distribution of water by 40%. Therefore, we receive these types of innovative initiatives with great interest since they can be a very relevant contribution to guarantee the supply of water and accelerate the energy transition”.

The Cabildo de Gran Canaria president, Antonio Morales

The director of PLOCAN, José Joaquín Hernández Brito, congratulated Ocean Oasis for the desalination prototype that it will test in the PLOCAN test site, an experimentation area that he hopes will be used much more.

José Joaquín Hernández Brito, the CEO of PLOCAN, Kristine Bangstad Fredriksen, CEO of Ocean Oasis AS, Sebastian Feimblatt, CEO of Ocean Oasis Canarias, S.L, Antonio Morales Méndez, the President of the Council of Gran Canaria, and Rosana Melián Domínguez, Director of the General Directorate of Energy, Government of the Canary Islands.

Funding

The CEO of Ocean Oasis, Kristine B. Fredriksen, expressed thanks for the financial support for the development of the prototype received from Innovation Norway, the Norwegian Research Council, the European Innovation Council Accelerator EIC and especially the Gran Canaria Economic Promotion Society and ICEX through its Invest in Spain program co-financed with FEDER funds, being present at the event.

Ocean Oasis’ main investor, Grieg Maritime Group, was represented at the event by Kjerstin Hernes, Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Ocean Ventures. She said: “There is still much to be done. But we have a strong trust in Kristine and the team. Together, they will deliver as promised – and I can’t wait to taste the first drops of freshwater conjured by waves end ingenuity.”

Future developments

Kristine B. Fredriksen informed that Ocean Oasis has established an R&D office and workshop in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and announced that the company will continue developing activities in the Islands, starting with the Gaia prototype.

Once this stage has been completed, with the testing of the desalination plant at the PLOCAN test site, a second installation will be built. In this phase, the prototype will be scaled with the capacity to produce water for consumption. It will be connected to the water distribution system to help tackle water stress in a sustainable way. This phase is supported by the EU EIC Accelerator.

Desalination growth and offshore potential

Currently, more than 300 million people depend on desalination for their water supply, accounting for about 1% of the total freshwater supply. Climate change and the depletion of traditional resources are increasing the need for desalination, and it is estimated that this will have to double by 2030 to meet the needs of the population.

However, traditional desalination requires large amounts of energy, leading to a large carbon footprint and high cost. From this premise, Ocean Oasis points out that desalination that uses wave energy brings a new dimension and additional opportunities to supply desalinated water without emissions, at a competitive cost, and without the use of valuable land.

The use of offshore wave energy in deep waters also allows a clean capture of water and the discharge of brine in a sustainable way, minimizing the environmental impact.

Ocean Oasis markets

Ocean Oasis technology can be used on the coasts of the world where wave action is sufficient, including, among others, the Canary Islands, South Africa, Morocco, Chile and Australia.

The potential for application in the Canary Islands presents a great opportunity to supply the islands with desalinated water with reduced environmental impact and cost. In this sense, the company hopes to build and install its first commercial installations in the Canary Islands.

Nov 21, 2022

News

Comienza el proyecto europeo DesaLIFE de desalación undimotriz