The patent [PCT/050485] provides AW-Energy with broad IP protection of its latest generation WaveRollerdevice including a range of operating improvements made to the device’s system and infrastructure, particularly on failsafe operating improvements to protect against extreme weather conditions.
“This is a significant and exciting decision by the USPTO, and we view this announcement as recognition of AW-Energy’s important contribution to the growing number of renewable energy and sustainable power generation devices that are needed globally to reduce the climate change challenges we face,” said Jussi Åkerberg, CTO of AW-Energy Oy.
Growing concerns about reliance on electricity, and the energy supply-demand balance, are increasingly being reported. Enerdata indicated in its 2019 review that the acceleration in energy consumption in 2018 grew by +2.3 percent globally driven by high growth in electricity and gas demand.
Also, Bob Dudley, Group Chief Executive of BP, pointed out in the company’s annual review released in June, the electric power sector is estimated to have absorbed around half of the growth in primary energy in 2018 and accounted for around half of the increase in carbon emissions.
“Decarbonizing the power sector while also meeting the rapidly expanding demand for power, particularly in the developing world, is perhaps the single most important challenge facing the global energy system over the next 20 years, ” Dudley stated.
Åkerberg is quick to point out that this makes offshore wave energy an appealing and sustainable option for tomorrow’s energy mix.
AW-Energy anticipates favorable outcomes for its patent applications in other countries since other patent offices worldwide consider the status of the related USPTO Patent case to be highly relevant to the decision to grant patents. The company already has a strong portfolio of 57 patents awarded, covering a variety of technological aspects and different countries.
Certification by DNVGL and Lloyd’s Register has qualified the technology to mitigate risks and is making the technology bankable for large utility customers in US as well as across Europe and Asia.
Next month, the WaveRoller device is set for deployment in Peniche, Portugal. It comes at a time when national power grids are being stress-tested and impacted by outages, the most recent experienced in the UK causing chaos and disruption across England and Wales. Other recent power cuts have severely impacted the US in areas such as Wisconsin, Michigan and Texas as well as South America, India and in Australia.
“We now have a very good protection regarding our WaveRoller device and its technology on significant markets around the world,” says Åkerberg.
