Eco Wave Power (EWP) is turning the endless motion of the ocean into a clean, reliable, and cost-competitive source of electricity. Founded in 2011 in Tel Aviv, Israel, the company emerged from a clear recognition — that while 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, the ocean’s vast energy potential remains largely untapped. The company was built around a simple yet transformative idea: that wave energy generation could be brought onshore, minimizing costs and environmental impact while maximizing reliability and ease of maintenance.
Over the past decade, Eco Wave Power has evolved from a proof-of-concept pilot in Gibraltar to a Nasdaq-listed renewable energy company with projects across multiple continents. Its project in the Port of Jaffa, became Israel’s first-ever grid-connected wave energy power station in 2023, symbolizing a milestone not only for Israel but for the global wave energy industry. With 18 patents and a growing pipeline of over 404 MW worldwide, Eco Wave Power is now driving its innovative technology into the heart of the United States’ renewable energy landscape — beginning with the Port of Los Angeles.
The Port of Los Angeles Project: wave energy meets infrastructure
The Port of Los Angeles Wave Energy Pilot Demonstration represents the first onshore wave energy installation in the United States. Located at the AltaSea campus at the Port of Los Angeles — a renowned ocean innovation hub — the project has an installed capacity of 100 kW, containing seven floaters attached to an existing jetty.
The design embodies Eco Wave Power’s patented onshore conversion technology. Unlike conventional offshore systems, which are tethered to the seabed and require expensive marine construction, Eco Wave Power’s system is mounted directly onto existing man-made coastal structures such as breakwaters, jetties, or piers. This approach drastically reduces installation, operation, and maintenance costs while avoiding negative impacts on marine ecosystems.
Here’s how it works:
- Floaters are installed on the outer side of the breakwater, moving up and down with the motion of the waves.
- The movement compresses and decompresses hydraulic pistons, sending pressurized fluid through hydraulic accumulators to a land-based hydraulic motor and generator.
- The generated electricity is then transferred to the grid via a standard grid connection point.
When waves are too strong, the floaters automatically lift out of the water — a key safety feature that protects the system from damage during storms or extreme conditions. This combination of simplicity, resilience, and modular scalability is driving Eco Wave Power’s viable commercial technology forwards in the blue economy.
Why Los Angeles?
The decision to establish the company’s US pilot at the Port of Los Angeles was both strategic and symbolic. As one of the busiest and most advanced ports in the world, the Port of LA is at the forefront of maritime innovation and environmental leadership. It is also a key entry point for global trade, making it a visible stage to demonstrate the real-world viability of wave energy.
California, moreover, has positioned itself as a leader in the clean energy transition. The state’s commitment to achieving 100% clean electricity by 2045 creates fertile ground for technologies that can complement solar and wind by providing predictable, base-load renewable power..
In addition, the Port of Los Angeles has a strong commitment to sustainability and emissions reduction. Its Clean Air Action Plan and efforts to decarbonise port operations make wave energy a natural fit. The integration of Eco Wave Power’s system into an existing port structure demonstrates how ports can leverage their coastal infrastructure for renewable energy production without compromising core maritime operations.
Project partners and support
The project is the product of collaboration between Eco Wave Power, AltaSea, and Shell Marine Renewable Energy (Shell MRE), with additional support from the Port of Los Angeles and numerous engineering and local stakeholders.
- Eco Wave Power serves as the project developer and technology provider, responsible for the design, manufacturing, installation, and operation of the system.
- AltaSea, the ocean innovation campus hosting the project, provides the platform and facilities for testing and public education, ensuring visibility for wave energy’s potential.
- Shell MRE joined as a co-funding partner.
- The Port of Los Angeles has played a vital enabling role, offering infrastructure access and regulatory cooperation to allow the project to proceed within an operational port environment.
The station has also garnered support from local and federal representatives, including Congresswoman Nanette Díaz Barragán, who has been a leading advocate for ocean-based climate solutions. In 2024, she introduced the Ocean Innovation and Infrastructure Act, a landmark $1 billion federal initiative designed to accelerate the development and deployment of innovative blue economy projects — including wave energy, offshore renewables, marine restoration, and low-emission port infrastructure. The Act aims to strengthen America’s coastal resilience, spur green job creation, and unlock new pathways for clean energy production across the nation’s ports and coastal communities.
From vision to reality: current status
The Los Angeles station successfully completed installation in mid-2025 and held its official opening ceremony on 9 September 2025. The landmark event witnessed partners traveling from across the world including Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and South Africa to witness the moment firsthand. Guests such as representatives from the Office of Laura Richardson, Member of the Senate for California’s 35th District; and Tim McOsker, Council Member for Los Angeles’ 15th District, filled the venue. Media coverage spanned local and international outlets, marking a milestone for wave energy’s entry into the U.S. renewable energy mix.
The station is operating as a dedicated demonstration and validation site. The installation functions as a live demonstration platform for installation methods, environmental monitoring, stakeholder engagement and regulatory learning.
During this phase, the system is being used to test the deployment of floaters and hydraulic conversion mechanisms under real-port conditions, collect operational data (structural, environmental and installation metrics), and educate stakeholders. While electricity generation in the form of full grid supply is not currently enabled at this pilot, the learnings gathered will support future commercial-scale, grid-connected waves-to-energy deployments.
Although it is small in scale compared to eventual commercial ambitions, this modular structure enables straightforward expansion — once favourable wave regimes and permitting processes are in place — from pilot scale toward multi-megawatt deployments along the California coastline and beyond.
Looking ahead: scaling wave power in the US and beyond
Following the successful commissioning of the Port of Los Angeles project, Eco Wave Power’s focus is shifting toward scaling. The company aims to develop larger commercial wave energy stations in North America, starting with California and expanding to other coastal states seeking to diversify their renewable portfolios.
Parallel to the U.S. efforts, Eco Wave Power is progressing several key international projects:
- Porto, Portugal: A 1 MW pilot project, part of a 20 MW concession with the Port Authority of Leixões (APDL). Supported by national blue-economy initiatives, the project targets grid connection by September 2026 and will demonstrate how Eco Wave Power’s onshore floaters can be incorporated into existing breakwaters to generate clean, predictable electricity for the Portuguese grid.
- Taiwan (I-Ke International Ocean Energy): In Taiwan, Eco Wave Power is providing a turnkey wave-energy installation at Suao Port. This project marks the companies breakthrough into the Asian market, and alignment with Taiwan’s national blue-energy strategy and demonstrating the feasibility of integrating clean-energy generation directly into existing port structures without seabed construction or environmental disruption.
- India (Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited – BPCL): Eco Wave Power signed a historic MoU with Bharat Petroleum, a government-owned Fortune 500 energy company in India, to explore the installation of a pilot station along India’s western coastline. The partnership aims to evaluate wave energy’s potential to support India’s national renewable-energy targets while leveraging BPCL’s infrastructure and technical expertise for large-scale coastal deployment.
- EDF-EWP One Project, Israel (Jaffa Port): Operational 100 kW onshore station, jointly developed with EDF Renewables IL and officially connected to Israel’s national grid in 2023 — marking the first wave-energy project in Israeli history to deliver electricity to the grid. EWP also received co-funding from the Israeli Ministry of Energy, which recognized the technology as a “pioneering technology.”
Together, these projects form part of a global pipeline exceeding 404 MW, representing one of the largest and most diversified portfolios in the wave energy sector.
Wave energy’s role in the renewable future
As the world races to meet the ambitious goals of the Paris Agreement, the need for diversified renewable sources becomes increasingly critical. Solar and wind have matured into cornerstone technologies, but their intermittency remains a challenge. The ocean, by contrast, is the least intermittent renewable energy source, delivering a uniquely stable and predictable power profile that strengthens the overall renewable mix.
Wave energy, in particular, holds enormous untapped potential — estimated at 29,500 TWh per year globally, equivalent to nearly double the world’s electricity consumption. Yet historically, the complexity and cost of offshore systems have slowed commercialization. Eco Wave Power’s onshore model provides a pragmatic path forward, enabling the industry to de-risk, de-cost, and deploy at scale using the world’s existing coastal infrastructure.
Moreover, wave energy can play a dual role in coastal resilience. By integrating energy generation into breakwaters and jetties, the technology not only produces clean power but also enhances the lifespan of coastal defenses by absorbing some of the wave impact that would otherwise erode or damage these structures.
The launch of Eco Wave Power’s Port of Los Angeles project demonstrates that wave power — long seen as an untapped frontier — can be deployed responsibly, efficiently, and at commercial scale when approached through innovative, infrastructure-integrated design.
