Harnessing Wave Power with CalWave
New My Climate Journey Podcast
Today's guest is Marcus Lehmann, CEO and Co-Founder of CalWave.
Our planet’s surface is mostly covered by ocean, but harnessing the power of our ceaseless water world has not been a considerable part of the energy mix to date. CalWave is on a mission to provide reliable, cost-effective ocean wave technologies for sustainable energy access. The company’s award-winning technology transforms the motion of ocean waves into electricity to equip communities of scale with localized power.
In this conversation with Marcus, we discuss the potential of wave energy and unpack some of the challenges to operating in dynamic and complex marine environments. We also cover Marcus’ background, CalWave’s origins, the company’s roadmap for getting to market, and how wave power and offshore wind power can be combined in the future.
Enjoy the show!
In today’s episode, we cover:
An overview of CalWave
How to harness the power of the ocean for energy
Marcus' personal climate journey and background in renewables
How Marcus stumbled on wave energy at Berkeley
Different methods of energy generation from water sources
How wave power fits into the renewables mix and its advantages
Engineering and design challenges faced by wave power that are not evident in solar or wind
An overview of CalWave's innovative technology
How wind and wave are co-located and complimentary
Maintenance issues CalWave has had to overcome to withstand ocean dynamics
Learnings from CalWave's ocean pilot in San Diego
The company's go-to-market plan
How wave technology could be a leapfrog for developing or isolated island nations
CalWave's cost predictions
How wave energy benefits sourcing power by the hour
Sources of funding R&D for wave energy
CalWave's initial seed funding and DOE awards
Who CalWave wants to hear from