OPERA · Project

Cutting Wave Energy Costs by Half with Open-Sea Tested Innovations

energyTestedTRL 5

opera-h2020.eu

Imagine trying to build better wave power machines but nobody shares what actually happens when you put them in the ocean — everyone keeps their test data secret. OPERA broke that pattern by running a floating wave energy device in real ocean conditions for two years and making all the data public. On top of that, they tested four upgrades — a better turbine, smarter controls, cheaper anchoring, and a shock-absorbing tether — that together could cut the cost of wave energy by more than half. Think of it like crash-test data for cars: once everyone can see what breaks and why, the whole industry improves faster.

By the numbers

50%

Long-term cost reduction potential of the four innovations combined

50%

Turbine efficiency improvement over existing designs

70%

Reduction in peak loads at hull-mooring connection from elastomeric tether

50%

Mooring cost reduction achieved in aquaculture with similar shared mooring approach

10%

Share of Europe's electricity needs wave energy could cover

2 years

Duration of open-sea operating data collected and shared

€2 million

National in-cash co-financing for open-sea testing

The business problem

What needed solving

Wave energy has enormous potential — enough to cover 10% of Europe's electricity — but costs remain too high for investors. Two critical barriers hold the industry back: device developers cannot access real ocean performance data because companies keep it proprietary, and key components like turbines, mooring systems, and control systems are still too expensive and fragile for commercial viability.

The solution

What was built

The project collected and shared two years of open-sea operating data from a floating oscillating water column wave energy converter. It built and ocean-tested four cost-reducing innovations: a 50% more efficient turbine, latching and predictive control systems, a shared mooring system, and an elastomeric mooring tether. A fault ride-through demonstrator prototype complying with IEC/TS62600-30 was also delivered, along with 31 total deliverables.

Audience

Who needs this

Wave energy device developers looking to cut costs below investor thresholdsMarine mooring and offshore engineering companies designing floating structuresEnergy utilities evaluating wave power for their renewable portfolioClean energy investors needing real-world risk and cost data for wave projectsAquaculture and offshore platform operators interested in shared mooring systems

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Marine Renewable Energy

SME

Target: Wave energy device developers and manufacturers

If you are a wave energy technology company struggling with high levelized costs that scare off investors — this project developed and open-sea tested four innovations (a 50% more efficient turbine, predictive control, shared mooring, and elastomeric tethers reducing peak loads 70%) that together have a long-term cost reduction potential of over 50%. The two years of shared open-sea data let you validate your own designs without sponsoring expensive ocean tests.

Offshore Infrastructure & Engineering

mid-size

Target: Mooring system designers and marine engineering firms

If you are a marine engineering company dealing with high mooring costs and structural failures at hull-mooring connections — this project demonstrated a shared mooring system inspired by aquaculture (where similar designs cut mooring costs 50%) and an elastomeric mooring tether that reduces peak loads at the hull-mooring connection by 70%. These solutions address one of the most pressing survivability challenges for any floating ocean device.

Energy Utilities & Investment

enterprise

Target: Utility companies and clean energy investors evaluating wave power

If you are an energy company or investor hesitant about wave energy because of unclear risk profiles and unpredictable costs — this project produced two years of publicly available open-sea operating data from a floating oscillating water column converter. That data provides the hard evidence on risk, uncertainties, and real-world costs needed to make informed investment decisions in a resource that could cover 10% of Europe's electricity needs.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

How much could wave energy costs actually drop using these innovations?

The project states that together, the four innovations have a long-term cost reduction potential of over 50%. This includes a turbine that is 50% more efficient, shared mooring that mirrors 50% cost reductions seen in aquaculture, and an elastomeric tether reducing peak loads by 70%.

Can these innovations work at industrial scale in real ocean conditions?

The innovations were advanced from TRL3-4 to TRL5 during the project, meaning they were validated in a relevant open-sea environment — not just in a lab. Two years of real ocean operating data were collected from a floating oscillating water column device, providing evidence of performance under actual conditions.

Who owns the intellectual property, and can I license these technologies?

The consortium of 13 partners across 4 countries includes the IPR owner and specialized teams for each innovation. Licensing would need to be negotiated with the relevant consortium partner. Based on available project data, contact through the coordinator Fundacion Tecnalia Research & Innovation (Spain) is the recommended starting point.

Is the open-sea data really accessible, and what does it include?

A core goal of OPERA was to remove the roadblock of proprietary ocean test data. The project committed to collecting and sharing two years of open-sea operating data from a floating oscillating water column converter, covering risk, uncertainties, costs, and environmental impacts.

What stage of development are these technologies at now?

The project advanced four innovations from TRL3-4 to TRL5, and produced a fault ride-through demonstrator prototype complying with IEC/TS62600-30. The project closed in July 2019, so further development may have continued independently since then.

Are there regulatory standards these technologies comply with?

The fault ride-through demonstrator was built to comply with IEC/TS62600-30, which is the international technical specification for wave energy converters. This standards compliance is important for grid connection and regulatory approval in European markets.

What makes this different from other wave energy research projects?

Most wave energy R&D does not have access to open-sea operating data because companies keep it proprietary. OPERA is specifically designed to share real-world ocean performance data publicly, which is rare in this sector. The combination of open data plus four distinct cost-reduction technologies in one project is also unusual.

Consortium

Who built it

The 13-partner consortium spans 4 countries (Spain, Ireland, Portugal, UK) — all Atlantic-facing nations with strong wave energy resources. With 6 industry partners (46% of the consortium) and 2 SMEs, there is solid commercial grounding alongside 4 universities and 1 research organization. The coordinator, Fundacion Tecnalia Research & Innovation in Spain, is one of Europe's largest applied research centers. The project specifically brought together the IPR owner and the most advanced teams for each of the four innovations, which means the know-how is distributed but coordinated. For a business looking to license or adopt these technologies, the mix of research depth and industry presence means there are both technical experts and commercially-minded partners to engage with.

FUNDACION TECNALIA RESEARCH & INNOVATIONCoordinator · ES
THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETERparticipant · UK
DNV UK LIMITEDparticipant · UK
BISCAY MARINE ENERGY PLATFORM SAparticipant · ES
OCEANTEC ENERGIAS MARINAS SLparticipant · ES
IDOM CONSULTING, ENGINEERING, ARCHITECTURE S.A.U.participant · ES
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE CORK - NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, CORKparticipant · IE
THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGHparticipant · UK
INSTITUTO SUPERIOR TECNICOparticipant · PT
ENTE VASCO DE LA ENERGIAparticipant · ES

How to reach the team

Fundacion Tecnalia Research & Innovation (Spain) — one of Europe's largest applied research organizations. SciTransfer can facilitate a direct introduction to the right technical lead.

Order a report on this consortium See FUNDACION TECNALIA RESEARCH & INNOVATION profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore licensing the efficient turbine design, shared mooring system, or elastomeric tether technology? SciTransfer can connect you directly with the right consortium partner and provide a detailed technology brief. Contact us to get started.

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