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 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.
PROVEN TECHNOLOGY
This technology has been proven reliable during trials in Chile, Canada and Florida – and we have a pilot off Fort Bragg’s coast to learn more.
ECO-FRIENDLY BRINE
The Oneka system brine is only 30-50% saltier than that of the ocean, compared to 100-150% 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.