For a cost-rich country like Australia, oceanic wave energy is a ready and largely-untapped source of essentially unlimited power, and the Perth-based Wave Energy Project has just set a new world record after 14,000 total hours of operation.

Located off the coast of Western Australia, the CETO 5 energy system has been live for a year and not only generates clean energy but also desalinates water for human consumption.

This remarkable project also represents another milestone: the first array of wave power generators tied directly into a country’s electrical grid. Each unit of their next-generation variant has a one-megawatt capacity (four times the current version 5 output), all with zero emissions.

“ARENA is proud to help local companies, like [Carnegie Wave Energy Limited], develop new renewable energy solutions that have the potential to change the way the world generates electricity,” said ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht. “We do this by providing Australian innovators with the support they need during the critical RD&D period, when patient funding is essential.”