CorPower Ocean has been awarded the world’s first DNV Prototype Certificate for a wave energy converter (WEC), marking a major leap towards bankable, utility-scale wave energy.
The CorPower C4 has been certified by DNV under DNV-SE-0120, Certification of Wave Energy Converters and Arrays, following independent verification.
The certificate confirms the technology meets DNV’s stringent requirements for structural strength, reliability and safety, establishing a new international benchmark for the wave energy industry. It also establishes a significantly reduced technology risk, unlocking the project finance, insurance and institutional investment in commercial deployment.
“This is a historic milestone, for CorPower Ocean and the sector. It moves wave energy from being a promising technology to being a proven and bankable one. I am immensely proud of our team for making CorPower the first wave energy technology to pass this bar,” said CorPower Ocean co-founder and CEO Patrik Möller.
The news comes as CorPower Ocean advances its first two industrial wave farms, in Portugal and Scotland. It forms part of a broader ambition to elevate wave energy into the world’s third-largest renewable energy source, complementing wind and solar to deliver the lowest-cost clean energy mix around the clock.
The Prototype Certificate follows a seven-year process with DNV, which began with establishing the design basis for the CorPower C4.
Throughout the program, DNV independently reviewed and approved concept development, detailed engineering, structural strength and fatigue analysis, manufacturing, assembly, dry testing, installation, operations and maintenance, and device performance in extreme conditions with storm waves of up to 18.5 metres.
“The issue of the first Wave Energy Converter Prototype Certificate was the culmination of a thorough and rewarding interaction with CorPower. It marks an important stepping stone in the realisation of commercial wave energy. DNV has supported this sector for over 20 years and is familiar with the many challenges these devices face. The commitment shown by the CorPower team in achieving this milestone is impressive, and we look forward to continuing the journey with them,” added Claudio Bittencourt Ferreira, Project Manager, DNV Renewables Certification.
The CorPower C4 features a spherical composite hull measuring 9 meters in diameter, stands 18 meters tall, and has a mass of approximately 100 tonnes. The wave energy converter is installed in 45 meters of water around 4 km offshore Aguçadoura in northern Portugal.
It has been operating in ocean conditions since 2023 across three deployment cycles, including autonomous operation, power export to the Portuguese grid, and survival of Atlantic storms with waves of up to 18.5 meters during Storm Domingos in November 2023, a regional record according to the Hydrographic Institute of Portugal.
