Powering Up: Indigenous Nation Takes Control of Its Land and Energy Future through Wave Energy Project

The Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation (MMFN) has chosen CalWave as the technology provider for a wave energy project in Yuquot, British Columbia, Canada. Located on Nootka Island just off the west coast of Vancouver Island, Yuquot has been the traditional home of the MMFN for thousands of years and was once a thriving center of fish and fur trading. However, most residents were relocated to Vancouver Island in the late 20th century.

The Indigenous-led project is now focused on reclaiming their land, rebuilding their community, and utilizing the power of the North Pacific waves to help fuel their new microgrid and achieve energy independence. Funded by a grant from TD Bank Group and the Clean Energy in Rural and Remote Communities Program within Natural Resources Canada, this groundbreaking initiative for coastal community microgrids could serve as a model for other coastal communities along the North American Pacific Coast and globally.

CalWave, a California-based wave energy technology developer, is leading the project. The company was awarded the Wave Energy Prize by the U.S. Department of Energy in 2016 and has secured multiple R&D contracts from the DOE Water Power Technologies Office. CalWave successfully demonstrated its first open-ocean system off the coast of San Diego in 2021 and 2022 and is contracted by the DOE to deploy its first utility grid-connected system at the 20 MW PacWave test site off