Sustainable wave-powered desalination in Pacific coastal regions (Chile & California) - Building an impact measurement and business cases for climate mitigation and adaptation

Octobre 4 – 03:30-04:30 pm
Place : Agora

A workshop presented by Oneka

Fresh water is our most precious resource. It needs to be accessible, affordable, and sustainable for humanity to prosper. According to the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2023 of the United Nation, in 2022, 2.2 billion people lacked safely managed drinking water, and at the current rate of progress, by 2030, 1.6 billion people will still live without access to safely managed drinking water supplies.

Oneka Technologies’ mission is to revolutionize freshwater production by making the oceans a sustainable and affordable source of freshwater to empower coastal communities’ regional growth, economic development and social equity, so that water can remain at the service of future generations.
Oneka is an award winning impact-driven innovation company which developed an all-in-one sustainable wave-powered desalination system. The technology consists of buoys installed near shore that use the motion of the waves to mechanically pump seawater. The seawater is pumped through reverse osmosis membranes that separate the salt from the water. The resulting fresh water – that can be used as potable water, for irrigation, for mining applications or other purposes – is sent to shore through a submarine pipe. Benefits include zero energy cost, zero CO2 emissions, zero land use, responsible brine discharge, regenerative marine life and biodiversity, low level of maintenance, and a modular & scalable technology.
As an Impact driven company, Oneka is committed to partner with the scientific community and experts to develop methodologies and indicators to measure the impact and co-benefits of its intended system transformation. Thus, accelerating the process of shifting the desalination industry to become a scalable climate adaptation solution.

During this collaborative session, we intend to present two project business cases currently being developed in California, USA and in Chile with local communities and stakeholders. We intend to share our impact road map and discuss some of our biggest challenges when it comes to regulations and intended environmental and societal impacts. This collaborative session will also aim to leverage the expertise of the scientific community to share knowledge and identify potential collaborations to advance science-based and concrete solutions to achieve our goals to provide an equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water.

Participants

Susan Hunt, Chief Innovation Officer at Oneka Technologies
Mary Anne Petrillo, CEO at the West Business Development Center
Eric Miller, Principal and Owner at Miller Marine Science & Consulting
Alain-Olivier Desbois, Chief Finance & Impact Officer at Oneka Technologies