Grants and Contributions:
Title:
Glacier: Utility-Scale Wave-powered Sustainable Desalination
Agreement Number:
1029422
Agreement Value:
$2,407,969.19
Agreement Date:
Mar 4, 2025 - Mar 31, 2027
Description:
UNICEF estimates that two billion people live in countries where water supply is inadequate and that half the world’s population could be facing water scarcity by 2050. The world increasingly needs affordable, sustainable drinking water supplies at large volumes and is turning to conventional desalination, which is expensive, dirty, and unsustainable. Almost half the cost of traditional desalination pays for fuel, creating a carbon footprint that is on average 2.0 kg CO2e/m3 of water produced. While the desalination industry uses seawater as an input, it does not take advantage of the immense energy in ocean waves proximal to the input resource. Using wave energy instead of fossil fuels to power desalination plants presents tremendous opportunities to reduce GHG emissions.The project, led by Oneka Technologies, aims to scale up its wave-powered desalination buoys to utility-scale units, called “Glaciers”. The project will allow Oneka and its partners to deploy their redesigned hull & structure, design and deploy seabed anchoring approaches adapted to Glacier class buoys and develop operational and maintenance innovations at scale while serving as a platform to gather real-time operational data and market the technology to utility-scale users. The project will also allow the team to cost-engineer Glacier for competitiveness with the conventional desalination industry at any scale, consuming zero fossil fuels, producing zero operational emissions and using no land.
Organization:
National Research Council Canada
Expected Results:
The expected results and outcomes of NRC Industrial Research Assistance Program is focused on growing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through innovation and wealth creation for Canada.
Location:
Sherbrooke, Quebec, CA J1L 0J1
Reference Number:
172-2024-2025-Q4-1029422
Agreement Type:
Contribution
Report Type:
Grants and Contributions
Recipient Business Number:
802381582
Recipient Type:
For-profit organization
Additional Information:
This agreement has been amended 1 time(s). The end date of this agreements has been modified by 335 days.
Amendment Date
Mar 24, 2026
Recipient's Operating Name:
Oneka Technologies
Recipient's Legal Name:
9320-9054 Québec inc.
Federal Riding Name:
Sherbrooke
Federal Riding Number:
24073
Program:
Industrial Research Assistance Program
Program Purpose:
The purpose of Industrial Research Assistance Program Contributions to Firms is to provide support that assists small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to advance their innovation knowledge and ability to innovate, grow through innovation and stimulate wealth creation for Canada.
Coverage:
Industrial Research Assistance Program projects stimulate wealth creation for Canada through technological innovation and strengthen Canadian innovation ecosystem by creating new industrial capacity.
NAICS Code:
333990
Amendments: