Innovative Ocean Battery stores renewable energy at the bottom of the deep sea
Sometimes energy generated by offshore wind farms is hard to store or transfer, this is a neat solution to that problem and new energy tankers can then collect the energy at their leisure.
Key takeaways
- See how it works According to the company, the transition towards renewable power generation is a huge challenge and power production will soon be dictated by the weather conditions and no longer will be available on demand.
- Ocean Grazer steps into this opportunity and delivers a solution.
- One of the key success factors is that the Ocean Battery significantly reduces the capital expenditure of offshore power generation with a return on investment of 8 - 10 years.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2022) 'Innovative Ocean Battery stores renewable energy at the bottom of the deep sea', 311 Institute, 18 January. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/innovative-ocean-battery-stores-renewable-energy-at-the-bottom-of-the-deep-sea/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
As the world deploys more and more renewable energy generating capacity, especially at sea, companies everywhere are trying to solve the problem of how to store and transport the energy they all produce.
Recently one company in Japan unveiled a firs of a kind autonomous drone energy tanker – the modern equivalent of an oil tanker – to transport electricity from offshore wind farms, and now another company, Ocean Grazer, a spin-off of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, has launched yet another concept – a deep sea energy storage solution that they call the “Ocean Battery.”
Future of Energy 2050 keynote, by Matthew Griffin
The Ocean Battery is an energy storage solution for offshore wind farms that’s installed on the seabed and it can be infinitely scaled to handle gigawatt hours worth of energy storage. Furthermore, says the company, the solution’s efficient, has low maintenance costs, and is designed with a sustainable planet in mind.
The Ocean Battery is based on what the company calls “Hydro dam technology.” Excess wind power is routed towards the Ocean Battery that pumps water from its underground reservoirs into the flexible bladders installed at the seabed. Whenever there is a demand for power water is routed through hydro turbines to generate electricity back into the underground reservoirs.
See how it works
According to the company, the transition towards renewable power generation is a huge challenge and power production will soon be dictated by the weather conditions and no longer will be available on demand. Peaks in renewable power production are already resulting in negative energy prices and potentially even blackouts. Fast-growing offshore wind power production results in an exponential demand for large scale energy storage. Ocean Grazer steps into this opportunity and delivers a solution.
One of the key success factors is that the Ocean Battery significantly reduces the capital expenditure of offshore power generation with a return on investment of 8 - 10 years. Ocean Grazer has developed a strategy to develop their patented technology with local partners around the globe, building the battery on site and creating local jobs.
The first commercial demonstrators are currently under development where the ocean battery will stabilize the power system and provide black start power whenever a blackout occurs.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
Sometimes energy generated by offshore wind farms is hard to store or transfer, this is a neat solution to that problem and new energy tankers can then collect the energy at their leisure.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
Read full bio
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- Ocean Grazer oceangrazer.com
- University of Groningen rug.nl
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 18 January 2022. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2022). Innovative Ocean Battery stores renewable energy at the bottom of the deep sea. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/innovative-ocean-battery-stores-renewable-energy-at-the-bottom-of-the-deep-sea/
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