SKF has announced a partnership with Carnegie Clean Energy Limited to support the development of Carnegie’s CETO wave energy technology. The collaboration will focus on delivering the Power Take-Off (PTO) system used in CETO units, which convert wave motion into electricity.
The CETO system is a fully submerged, point absorber wave energy device. A buoy located a few metres below the ocean surface moves with the waves, driving the PTO system to generate power.
As part of the agreement, SKF and Carnegie are working together on the design and production of the PTO units. SKF had previously contributed bearing and shaft design work under a Development Agreement and has now been awarded a contract to manufacture three PTO units for deployment at the Biscay Marine Energy Platform.
“Carnegie is one of the leading wave energy device developers globally. Our existing partnership evolved over time from single rotating equipment components to a fully integrated power take-off system which we have been jointly developing with the Carnegie team. We are proud to be part of this journey and are looking forward to commercialising the technology going forward,” said Michael Baumann, Global Application Account Manager, Ocean Energy at SKF.
Carnegie CEO Jonathan Fievez added: “The SKF partnership reinforces our supply chain with a globally recognised leader that is capable of adding value as we progress CETO’s commercialisation pathway. By leveraging SKF’s established expertise and advanced technologies, we are ensuring CETO maintains its position as a leading wave energy solution for the long term. We are very pleased to collaborate with SKF, a global rotating equipment and precision manufacturer with production capacity that can match the intended CETO scale-up.”
SKF is also involved in other ocean energy projects, including a partnership with Minesto on tidal kite technology in the Atlantic Sea near the Faroe Islands, and a Memorandum of Understanding with Proteus Marine Renewables and GE Vernova to support large-scale tidal stream energy projects.
“Ocean energy is expected to supply at least 10% of global energy in the future. The challenge is proving, optimizing, and preparing ocean energy technologies for commercialization. By collaborating to innovate, we develop cutting-edge technologies at a fast pace to drive sustainable benefit,” Baumann added. “This partnership with Carnegie reinforces our commitment to advancing wave energy technology and supporting renewable energy solutions. With our broad supply chain in combination with SKF rotating equipment expertise, we accelerate the industrialisation and commercialisation of the CETO technology to harvest the vast potential of Wave Energy.”
