Oneka Technologies

Wave-Powered Sustainable Desalination

Oneka Technologies offers solutions that turn seawater into fresh water, using only the renewable energy from ocean waves. The entire process takes place offshore from modular buoys. The energy from the ocean activates a wave-actuated pump that moves seawater through reverse osmosis membranes, and delivers fresh water through an underwater pipe to shore.

The ResilienSea Project

The city’s water needs, combined with California’s tremendous potential for wave-powered desalination—given its 840 miles of coastline and year-round waves—led the City of Fort Bragg to partner with Oneka to deploy the state’s first wave-powered desalination demonstration site, located about half a mile from Fort Bragg’s Wastewater Treatment Plant. The goal of this 12-month demonstration project is to showcase the benefits of Oneka’s desalination technology across all facets of sustainable development—social, economic, and environmental—representing a crucial first step in addressing water security challenges for Fort Bragg and other coastal communities.

The City of Fort Bragg and Oneka Technologies is pursuing a two-tier permitting strategy: Accelerated (pilot/temporary) and Traditional (long term, larger deployment). Several agencies are working on the permitting, including: Dept. of Fish and Wildlife; State Lands Commission; Army Corps of Engineers; California Coastal Commission; U.S. Coast Guard. Examples of required studies include: Entrapment Study; Benthic Habitat Survey; Subsurface Intake Feasibility; Brine Discharge Technology Empirical Study; Essential Fish Habitat Assessment; and a Sensitive Species Survey.

ZERO GHG EMISSIONS

The Oneka solution doesn’t emit any GHG and saves 1 ton of CO2e/year for each m3 of fresh
water produced daily. This means that the 12-month pilot project would save 50 tons of CO2e.

LOWER SALINITY AND WELL DIFFUSED BRINE

The Oneka system brine is only 30-50% saltier than that of the ocean, compared to 80-110% with conventional desalination, and is discharged over a vast area near the surface in an active water column, so the brine is quickly returned to the salinity of the ocean.

SAFE WATER INTAKE

The intake is engineered to protect sea life, designed with 60-micron mesh (smaller than the thickness of human hair), and backwashed to reduce maintenance and ensure enhanced suction protection.

NO LAND USE FOR DESALINATION

The entire desalination process takes place offshore, which significantly reduces the impact on deforestation, as compared to traditional and solar energy driven desalination solutions.