The race to harness renewable energy from our oceans just got more interesting. ZOEX Ltd, an emerging wave energy technology developer based in the UK, has secured £531,000 ($665,000) in funding to advance its innovative wave energy conversion system.
This investment marks a significant milestone for the Edinburgh-based company, which aims to transform how we capture energy from ocean waves – one of nature’s most powerful yet underutilized renewable resources.
The funding round was led by Zero Waste Scotland’s Circular Economy Investment Fund, with additional support from Scottish Enterprise and private investors. According to ZOEX, these funds will accelerate the development and testing of their proprietary wave energy converter technology.
Having spent the last three years at the University of Edinburgh’s wave tank facilities, I’ve watched numerous wave energy concepts come and go. What makes ZOEX’s approach potentially game-changing is their focus on simplicity and durability – two qualities that have historically challenged wave energy developers.
“Wave energy has enormous potential, but the harsh marine environment demands extremely robust solutions,” explains Dr. Sam Etherington, ZOEX’s founder and CEO. “Our technology addresses the fundamental challenges that have limited wave energy’s commercial viability until now.”
The global wave energy market is projected to reach $141 million by 2027, according to Allied Market Research. Yet the sector has struggled to achieve the cost reductions and reliability improvements that have made solar and wind energy mainstream renewable options.
ZOEX’s technology, called the Adaptive Pneumatic Power System (APPS), utilizes a novel approach that captures energy through a system of interconnected buoyant chambers. These structures flex with wave movements, creating pressure differentials that drive generators with significantly fewer moving parts than conventional wave energy converters.
What’s particularly noteworthy about the ZOEX approach is their emphasis on circular economy principles. The company designs its components for disassembly and reuse, addressing end-of-life considerations that are often overlooked in renewable energy technologies.
“The ocean environment is unforgiving,” notes marine energy expert Dr. Jennifer Norris of the University of Strathclyde. “What distinguishes ZOEX’s approach is their focus on operational simplicity in complex sea states – potentially solving one of wave energy’s biggest challenges.”
The UK government has identified marine energy as a critical component in their renewable energy strategy, with the potential to deliver up to 20% of the country’s electricity needs. According to the UK Marine Energy Council, the sector could generate up to 8,000 jobs and £1.4 billion in economic value by 2035.
Wave energy offers several advantages over other renewables. Unlike solar and wind, waves provide a more consistent and predictable energy source, with the potential for round-the-clock generation. This predictability makes wave energy particularly valuable for grid stability as renewable penetration increases.
ZOEX plans to use the new funding to build and deploy a quarter-scale prototype at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney, Scotland – widely regarded as the world’s leading test facility for marine energy technologies.
“This funding allows us to move from tank testing to real ocean conditions,” says Sarah Coleman, ZOEX’s Chief Technology Officer. “The data we’ll gather from the EMEC deployment will be invaluable for optimizing our technology and demonstrating its commercial potential.”
The company aims to have a full-scale commercial system operational by 2026, targeting remote coastal communities and island nations that currently rely on expensive diesel generation.
What’s striking about ZOEX’s approach is how they’ve learned from previous wave energy failures. Early wave energy companies often created overly complex mechanisms that couldn’t withstand ocean conditions or required prohibitively expensive maintenance. ZOEX’s system emphasizes structural simplicity while maximizing energy capture efficiency.
As climate change concerns intensify and countries race to decarbonize their energy systems, technologies like ZOEX’s could play a crucial role in diversifying our renewable energy portfolio. Wave energy represents one of the last major untapped renewable resources, with global theoretical potential exceeding 29,500 TWh per year according to the International Renewable Energy Agency.
The challenge now for ZOEX is proving their technology can deliver reliable, cost-effective energy in real-world conditions. If successful, they could help unlock a new frontier in the renewable energy landscape – one that literally washes up on our shores every day.
