Horizon Europe Funds Groundbreaking COIN Project to Boost Wave Energy Innovation
The COIN project (Control-Oriented INnovations for future wave energy farms) will officially launch of November 1st, 2025 with the support of the European Commission under the Horizon Europe Programme. With a total budget of €4 million, COIN brings together nine leading organisations across Europe to deliver cutting-edge control-oriented innovations that promise to improve the reliability, survivability, and sustainability of future wave energy farms.
Coordinated by the Technische Universität Braunschweig (Germany), COIN answers the Horizon Europe call Critical technologies for the future ocean energy farms. The project will run for 48 months, aiming to advance ocean energy technologies to TRL 5 (Technology Readiness Level), bridging the gap between prototypes and commercial viability.
COIN will deliver three major innovations: a novel connector system (mechanical and electrical) for mooring and subsea infrastructure, designed through a Control Co-Design (CCD) approach to limit peak loads and prevent damage. An AI-enhanced real-time wave prediction system, using hybrid wave sensing techniques (radar and buoys), enabling precise second-by-second forecasts. A digital-twin-based health monitoring and health-aware control framework, which integrates fault detection, predictive maintenance, and real-time system adaptation to maximise availability and energy yield.
PoliTO MOREnergy Lab (Marine Offshore Renewable Energy Lab), as the leader of a Work Package, will have a central role in developing advanced health-aware control systems to maximize the device's energy yield and operational lifespan.
To demonstrate and validate these innovations, COIN will use the CETO wave energy converter, developed by Carnegie Clean Energy, as a reference technology. CETO is a fully submerged point absorber that captures energy from orbital wave motion beneath the sea surface. Its advanced rotary power take-off (PTO) and subsea configuration make it an ideal platform to test the project’s novel technologies in realistic marine conditions.
The COIN consortium brings together expertise from industry and academia: Technische Universität Braunschweig (Coordinator, Germany), Carnegie Technologies Spain S.L. (wave energy technology developer, Spain), IFP Energies nouvelles (France), Mondragon Goi Eskola Politeknikoa (Spain), WavEC Offshore Renewables (Portugal), Aalborg Universitet (Denmark), Quoceant Limited (United Kingdom), Hewlett-Packard Galway Limited (Ireland).
By combining advanced AI techniques, digital twins, and real-time control, COIN aims to significantly improve reliability, availability, and maintainability of wave energy converters, helping reduce the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) by up to 30% and strengthen Europe’s leadership in the ocean energy sector.
COIN also contributes to the objectives of the Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan and the European Green Deal, supporting a more sustainable, secure and competitive energy supply in the EU.