Gallery: Wave Energy Prize showcase

Photos: Ken Shipp/US Department of Energy

The photos have been taken at the Wave Energy Prize innovation showcase where AquaHarmonics took home the grand prize.

On November 16, 2016, the Water Power Technologies Office declared AquaHarmonics as the winner of the Wave Energy Prize, proving a five-fold improvement in WEC technology which earned the two-member team a $1.5 million grand prize.

The US Department of Energy-funded Wave Energy Prize saw 92 eligible teams register to compete for a prize purse totalling more than $2 million.

Throughout 2016, nine finalist teams tested their 1:20-scale model WECs in the United States’ most advanced wave-making facility – the Naval Surface Warfare Center’s Maneuvering and Seakeeping Basin at Carderock, Maryland.

“The Wave Energy Prize was a catalyst for a technology leap, encouraging revolutionary developments in wave energy converters that will drive down the cost of wave energy,” Wave Energy Prize administration team said.

CalWave Power Technologies and Waveswing America were awarded second and third place, respectively, with $500,000 and $250,000 in cash prizes.