The untapped potential of energy stored in the sea is a promising horizon that is projected to reach 1,800 TWh per year in Europe for wave energy alone. However, in order to improve market confidence and increase financeability and ensure the viability of commercial projects, it is necessary to demonstrate the full operation of a generator plant. In this context, the ONDEP (ONdas DE Peniche) project intends to construct a 2 MW park in Peniche, Portugal, consisting of four grid-connected WaveRoller units. Over a period of five and a half years, ONDEP aims to address the needs and technical challenges of future large-scale energy parks, while consolidating the end-to-end supply chain for the deployment in Europe and worldwide of other plants with power in the order of GW. The project also includes the environmental and economic analyses required for the expansion of wave energy parks: in the short term, by 2030, the project plans to unlock 11 parks in 8 countries on 4 continents, with a total capacity of 83 MW. By 2035, the achieved targets (expected LCOE <€100/MWh) will pave the way for a ‘blue’ economy capable of creating up to 500,000 jobs in Europe.

To achieve its ambitious goals, ONDEP involves 9 countries and 14 leading wave energy organisations. Among them, Italy is represented by a single company, Wisepower srl, which has seized this opportunity thanks to its expertise and succeeded in establishing itself as a supplier of high-tech systems for the renewable energy, power generation and infrastructure monitoring sectors.

This project received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. – 101172888