'Wave-Powered Desalination -- On a sun-filled winter day, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) researchers visited Jennette’s Pier
prototypes. With the help of a spider crane, the 714-pound HERO WEC was hoisted over the pier’s railing, suspended about 2 feet above the water, and then swiftly dropped into the ocean. Experts at the Coastal Studies Institute then towed the device to its anchor site, where it was thoroughly secured overnight before being retrieved.
As NREL’s first marine-powered desalination device to weather real ocean waters, the HERO WEC deployment signals advancements for marine renewable energy and desalination technologies but also ensures a fair contest in the nearing Waves to Water Prize DRINK Finale, set to take place in April 2022. Supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’sand administered by NREL, the five-stage, $3.
The HERO WEC gave both NREL and the Coastal Studies Institute a chance to deploy and retrieve a WEC device, which is exactly what the crew will do with competitors’ prototypes during the DRINK Finale. The practice run also gave researchers an idea of what to expect during finale testing, like tuning devices for various wave conditions and preparing for possible prototype repairs.