"In its first pilot, at the Port of Tanger Med-a massive port on the northern coast of Morocco-the startup installed one unit of its tech next to the port's breakwater, a wall built out into the water to shield the harbor from waves. The equipment uses a floating buoy that moves up and down with waves, converting the vertical motion into electricity that can be added to the grid."
"While solar and wind power are intermittent, wave energy is more predictable and more consistently available. The exact amount varies by location, and changes throughout the day based on conditions like wind and tides. But in its pilot, the company found that its tech produces energy around 62% of the time. Solar power in the region produces energy around 18% of the time, Nour says."
Ocean waves could generate as much as 1.4 trillion kilowatt-hours annually in the U.S., roughly one-third of current electricity consumption. Wave energy faces high costs and vulnerability to harsh ocean storms, limiting deployments mainly to small pilot projects. A Moroccan startup, ATAREC, claims a 70% reduction in initial cost by attaching floating-buoy technology to existing coastal infrastructure. In a pilot at Port of Tanger Med the unit converts buoy vertical motion into grid electricity and operated about 62% of the time, compared with roughly 18% for solar in the region. Wave power offers more predictability and could complement wind, solar, and batteries.
Read at Fast Company
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