Company Description:

 
BUSINESS
 
Atmocean is completing the development of its wave energy system to ready it for commercial applications in 2017 – including desalination to support agriculture and aquaculture. The development will allow Atmocean to supply commercial systems in our target locations: Peru, Chile, South Africa, and Australia.
 
ATMOCEAN SYSTEM
 
The Atmocean array of seawater pumps send pressurized seawater to an onshore “zero-electricity reverse/osmosis (ZER/O™) desalination station. In waves typical for these countries, each array produces onshore pressure of 12 bar at a flow rate of 2.7 m³/minute (roughly 1.4 million m³ per year).

MARKETS
 
FRESH WATER. Market prices for fresh water vary depending on location, but are known to be as high as $2 per cubic meter in Chile for industrial and mining applications. In some applications and configurations, Atmocean’s ZER/O system could produce water for as low as $1 per cubic meter. Given the diminishing supply of water from melting glaciers, both Peru and Chile are facing shortages. In South Africa, long-term drought is worsening water shortages.
FOOD. Global food supply will diminish in future years due to population growth combined with the negative effects of climate change on crop productivity. By establishing new cropland along the coastal deserts, we expand food supply, provide fresh water, and create jobs where today there are none.
 
ELECTRICITY. While technically possible to generate electricity using wave energy to operate a turbine and generator, we find even for our very low cost system the economics are unfavorable at this time. The economic mismatch is compounded by heavily regulated and politicized low prices for electricity in most markets. As Atmocean realizes economies of scale (and the price point for renewable energy goes up), power generation using Atmocean arrays could be feasible in the future.
 
BENEFITS OF ATMOCEAN
 
CASE STUDY. In one study conducted for South Africa, a checkerboard pattern of 120 arrays covering 2.4 square kilometers of ocean about 2-3 kilometers offshore, would produce the following benefits:

• Fresh water output: 17.6 million cubic meters/year.
• Annual crop yield: 203 million tons (mix of potatoes, carrots, onions, cabbage, lettuce).
• Farm workers hired: 6,600.
• Total people supported: 73,000.
• Farmers’ annual direct income: $16.8 million.
• Governmental annual direct benefit/income: $5 million.
• Atmospheric CO₂ drawdown: 37,000 tons per year.
• No CO₂ emissions.
• Residual brine from the ZER/O system is nontoxic to the coastal ecosystem.

MODULAR. Each array of 15 connected seawater pumps can be deployed as a standalone unit or multiple arrays interconnected to feed a single ZER/O desalination module – customizing the capacity for local needs while allowing for future expansion.
 
SIZE. System components are designed to fit in standard shipping containers, enabling transportation via road and/or cargo vessels.  This reduces vessel deployment costs and expands the potential market, as our system can be used in remote coastal communities with limited infrastructure.
 
OCEAN FOOTPRINT. Each array requires just 60m by 60m of ocean surface. When deployed in a checkerboard pattern (for example, 3 offshore arrays by 40 arrays parallel to shore or 120 total arrays), the ocean footprint is about 2.4 square kilometers.
 
DURABLE. The mooring system incorporates “shock-absorbers” to absorb the energy contained in highly energetic seas. In addition, the surface floats (buoys) submerge in waves 3m or bigger, adding a 2^nd level of protection against the harsh marine environment. All metal parts are either stainless steel, or are protected by long-lasting sacrificial anodes. The seawater transmission lines use flexible hoses, which dynamically absorb subsea stresses, current loading, etc.
 
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS. By using pressurized seawater to send energy to shore, any fluid loss has no effect on the ocean ecology. All moving metal parts are internal to each pump, so possible physical harm to marine life is minimized. The system uses no petroleum-based lubricants or oils for operations.  Furthermore, water entering the system goes through two separate filters to avoid biotic entrapment. Each array surface footprint ideally is closed to fishing, thereby becoming a “Marine Protected Area” to support regeneration of natural ecosystems.
 
SCALEABLE. A 2015 Los Alamos National Labs Report quantified the coastal deserts amenable to our technology – finding over 11,000 linear kilometers of coastal deserts with suitable wave energy.

ATMOCEAN HISTORY
 
Atmocean Inc. is a US “C corporation founded in 2006 to develop economical products powered by its unique and patent-pending ocean wave energy array of seawater pumps. It has conducted over 100 days of ocean testing, received multiple development grants from Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories, support from Oregon Wave Energy Trust and the UK Technology Strategy Board, and completed about two weeks of wave tank testing at Plymouth University (UK), and Texas A&M University. Atmocean has set up an operating company in Peru, and is now evaluating opportunities in Chile and South Africa. Total investment to date is approximately $3 million.
 
MILESTONES
 
June 2016: A final round of wave tank testing at Texas A&M using 1/8^th scale models will characterize the seawater pumps input/output for a full range of expected wave heights, wave periods, and cross-currents. This will allow final component build out and in-situ testing in Perú /Chile.
September/October 2016: Deploy two connected pumps tuned for the conditions in ILO Peru and verify optimal performance. Train local workers on assembly & deployment procedures.
November/December 2016: Deploy string of 5 pumps to verify full system functionality. Continue training of local workers.
2017: Secure contract and implement full-scale Atmocean pilot ZER/O commercial system in Ilo, Peru; Arica or La Serena, Chile; or Saldanha Bay, South Africa.