Portugal just opened the world's first commercial-scale wave energy installation off Peniche — 24 oscillating wave surge converters generating 40 megawatts from Atlantic Ocean swells and powering 15,000 Portuguese homes continuously.
The Peniche Wave Array sits 3 kilometers offshore in 30-meter water depth, harvesting powerful Atlantic swells arriving with average heights of 2.5 meters year-round. Each WaveRoller device uses a hinged panel fixed to the seabed that rocks with passing waves, pumping hydraulic fluid through generators at every wave cycle. Annual capacity factor reaches 42 percent — comparable to onshore wind turbines.
Portugal's Atlantic coastline receives among the most energetic wave resources in Europe. National wave energy potential is estimated at 5,500 megawatts — enough to cover 30 percent of Portugal's total electricity demand from ocean waves with full resource development. Portugal has approved 400 megawatts of additional wave arrays along the same coastline.
Source: AW-Energy Finland, Portuguese Renewable Energy Association, European Commission Innovation Fund, 2025
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