Novige AB is the Swedish cleantech start-up behind the development of NoviOcean wave energy converter, the solution to finally making wave energy profitable and accessible to all.
To make this ambitious dream a reality, CEO, Jan Skjoldhammer left his well-paid job as an airline captain/pilot in 2011 to focus all his energy and the larger part of his life’s savings into creating a company with the mission of “saving the climate with profitable wave power”. He then employed like-minded professionals who passionately believe in the cause.
So, how does the company do this? Well, imagine a well-proven hydropower plant, but inverted and taken to sea, with ocean waves acting as a never-drying dam – Novige AB calls it the “hydropower plant at sea” (HPAS) concept which is the main working principles of NoviOcean. Explained in simple terms, in every wave, the vertical motion of a rectangular floating structure creates enormous lifting forces (for example 600 tons for a 3.5-meter wave). This force is then hydraulically transferred from its cylinder and piston/piston rod connected to the sea floor, to a fast-spinning and highly efficient Pelton turbine and generator assembly which generates the electricity to then be transferred through subsea cables to the electricity network.
Despite blue energy’s enormous potential, previous technologies have so far not been very successful in delivering cost-effective solutions to the market. There are many complex systems that generate relatively low amounts of electricity compared to their mass and many moving parts. Such designs will lead to high and unattractive Levelized Cost of Energy (LCoE).
NoviOcean uses simple, light-weighted, and well-proven parts allowing for a reliable and stable electricity output which leads to a lower cost of electricity. As an example, a lower cost can be achieved than a similar-sized offshore wind after 50 MW of NoviOcean deployment.
The company can produce a more stable output (compared to conventional renewables) without any storage needs. Moreover, combined electricity production with the off-phased wind power can provide a baseload of up to five times higher than just wind alone, thereby solving a huge part of today’s unstable grids.
NoviOcean’s solution can be easily adjusted to give the ultimate power performance based on the resource availability for the deployment site which unlocks a unique opportunity to locally manufacture, deploy, and operate its units using the available resources and knowledge base. Therefore, as one of the company’s key strategies for the future rapid expansion, NoviOcean will be offering large-scale licensing to shipyards and industrial companies around the globe to build and operate its unit. This can ultimately empower the local/regional economy and job market.
NoviOcean is open for dialogues for partnership opportunities with large industrial companies with global networks who would like to join the company in it journey. This could be an ideal win-win for partners and their company name plus “renewables” depicted 35 x 3 meters on both sides of NoviOcean’s units. They can invite politicians, VIPs, and media onboard, and enjoy a new business leg to stand on, attract eager well-educated employees, attain respect and a greener image, and improve their shared value.
So far, NoviOcean’s 1:5 scale prototype has been tested and validated in wave tanks and real offshore environments. After more rounds of dry testing, the plan for 2022 is to reinstall the improved prototype in an offshore environment for long-term monitoring of its longevity and power performance.
The company has also signed a contract for more than two MEUR grant support from the EU Commission to design, construct, and demonstrate the full-scale pilot (rated at 500 kW) by 2024/25. The detailed design, environmental and feasibility studies for the full-scale pilot is expected to continue until 2023 and will be followed by construction, deployment, testing/validation, and certification until 2025.
