Carnegie, through its subsidiary CETO Wave Energy Ireland (CWEI), has secured a key role as an industry partner in the WECHULL+ Project, an innovative European initiative focused on the next generation of wave energy converter (WEC) hulls.
The project is funded by the Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland (SEAI) under the European Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CETP). WECHULL+ is dedicated to the investigation, testing, and validation of an innovative, sustainable concrete material specifically engineered for the demanding marine environments of wave energy conversion.
As a core industry partner, Carnegie will provide technical expertise to adapt this novel material for the CETO technology, ensuring the project’s outcomes are directly applicable to the commercial deployment of Carnegie’s proprietary wave energy systems.
Project Goals and Key Innovations
The primary objective of the WECHULL+ Project is to revolutionise WEC manufacturing by replacing traditional materials with a high-performance, sustainable concrete. This shift targets a significant reduction in the environmental footprint and life-cycle costs of wave energy.
The consortium will focus on four key areas of innovation:
Material Sustainability: Minimising the environmental impact of materials used in offshore renewable energy.
Advanced Manufacturing: Enhancing WEC hull manufacturing processes to enable rapid scaling and mass production.
Enhanced Durability: Developing materials that require less maintenance and can outlast the projected life of the energy project.
Cost Reduction: Leveraging concrete’s cost-advantages over steel to drive down the Levelised Cost of Energy (LCOE).
“A CETO buoy made of concrete rather than steel has the potential to be cheaper, easier to manufacture in remote locations, require zero maintenance and last longer than the life of the project. We are excited about the opportunity to contribute to the WECHULL+ Project which will work toward these outcomes with a novel, sustainable concrete” – Jonathan Fiévez, CEO
Carnegie’s Strategic Role:
CETO’s unique design provides an ideal platform for the application of novel materials. CWEI will provide both funded and in-kind support, offering technical advice to ensure the new concrete material meets the rigorous structural and operational requirements of CETO.
By transitioning from steel to this specialised concrete, Carnegie aims to unlock new manufacturing possibilities in remote locations, further improving the global scalability of CETO technology. This strategic initiative underscores Carnegie’s commitment to advancing ocean energy through sustainable material science.
The WECHULL+ Consortium
Led by the Research Institute of Sweden (RISE), the project brings together a diverse consortium of eight leading European organizations across research, academia, and industry:
Research Institute of Sweden (RISE) (Coordinator) – Sweden
CETO Wave Energy Ireland (CWEI) – Ireland
Delft University of Technology – Netherlands
Ocean Harvesting Technologies – Sweden
Gdansk University of Technology – Poland
This project is funded by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) under the European Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CETP).
