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Waves ahead in green energy

Carnegie Wave Energy boss Michael Ottaviano wants WA to become world leader in renewable energy. Picture: Nic Ellis/The West Australian.

Amid falling iron ore prices and a fiery GST debate, visionaries such as Carnegie Wave Energy boss Michael Ottaviano are getting on with ensuring WA becomes a world leader in renewable energy through the ocean's waves.

"Clearly, just through the cyclical nature of the resource sector, it's in our interests to be looking at developing industries outside the mining sector," Dr Ottaviano said.

"The potential energy in the ocean's waves globally is twice what the world currently consumes, so there is enormous potential for wave energy.

"The question is, what's practically possible?"

Dr Ottaviano said it was not unreasonable to forecast that 5 to 10 per cent of the world's energy would come from ocean waves within 50 years.

"That's really significant and what is of most significance for Carnegie and for WA, is that right now the only operating wave farm in the world is the one at Garden Island," he said.

"So we're extremely well-positioned as a company and as a State to take advantage of this enormous opportunity."

The Garden Island project, which cost about $100 million in State and Federal funds and investor capital, employs a unique system to supply power and desalinated water to Australia's biggest naval base HMAS Stirling.

Named after the Greek sea goddess, CETO technology produces zero-emission electricity by using submerged buoys tethered to seabed pumps, which drive hydroelectric turbines via high-pressure water through a subsea pipe.

Dr Ottaviano, who said the project could pave the way for much bigger versions capable of powering towns, admits he wasn't always switched on to clean, green energy.

"I was an engineer using more traditional forms of technology," he said.

"Like most people, I hadn't given a lot of thought to alternatives."

The son of an Italian immigrant who left school at 10 and ran several cabinet-making businesses with his wife to ensure their five sons had a fine education, Dr Ottaviano went on to earn a bachelor of engineering, a masters of science and a doctorate in business administration.

But three years doing his masters in Hamburg proved life-changing.

"They were already moving to a clean energy power mix and that really fired my imagination," he said.

"I thought that if Germany, which isn't blessed with great natural resources, can do it, then surely Australia can do it, and WA especially, where we have the world's best wave resource."

The publicly listed Carnegie Wave Energy has come a long way since it started operations in 1999 and now attracts serious institutional and industrial interest from around the world.

"It's amazing recognition for our team," Dr Ottaviano said.

"What we're doing is unique. It's a world-first and it's just fantastic to be able to do that from our little patch of dirt here in WA."