How Wave Energy Could Change the World
Inna Braverman believes in two things: second chances, and clean air. Born in Ukraine in 1986, polluted air almost killed her when the Chernobyl nuclear plant exploded just two weeks after her birth. She stopped breathing, and nearly died. “I grew up with a feeling I got a second chance at life, so I should do something good with it,” says Braverman.
Today, she is the cofounder of Eco Wave Power (EWP), an innovative technology that produces clean electricity from the ocean and its waves. The project converts wave energy into electricity with uniquely shaped floaters that attach to existing man-man structures like piers or jetties. The simplicity of the device makes installation and maintenance repairs a walk in the park.
Braverman, the leader behind construction of wave power stations, has been deemed one of the 30 “Most Influential Women in the World”. Her project has received recognition as the first of its kind, and as a step in the right direction towards fighting climate change. Historically, harnessing wave energy has been seen as a complex task to tackle. Because of this, EWP has received multiple awards, including being recently named a winner of the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit.
The commercialization of wave energy has substantial potential. In most regions wave power is available at all times, ready to be used by more than half of the world’s population that live within 100 km of a coastline. According to the World Energy Council, wave energy could produce twice the amount of electricity the world currently produces. The only difference being, it’s a whole lot cleaner.
Energy generation is responsible for about 60% of global greenhouse gas emissions, making it the main contributor to climate change. “Wave energy is the new kid on the block of renewables,” says Braverman. “The need for it is undeniable — it could be responsible for a huge amount of the world’s energy one day.”
Braverman recognizes the underrepresentation of women in climate action, despite the fact that they are disproportionately affected by the epidemic. She strives for equal representation at EWP by making an effort to hire and promote women into key roles. The product itself has the potential to provide clean energy to areas around the globe that are deprived of electricity, providing mothers around the world with sustainable methods of caring for their families.
Inna created the company mostly on her own, from scratch. “I was 24 when I established Eco Wave Power, and I had a naive outlook that maybe, just maybe, I could accomplish this without money, without contacts & probably even without the necessary experience,” she says. “Today, I am 33 years old and I gained the experience.”
EWP has proven to be successful in Gibraltar, and can be built to be both cost effective and reliable. Braverman, who has dedicated her life to her company, sees the ocean as a vast untapped renewable resource with the potential to significantly impact the world’s climate change.
“I am passionate and committed to doing my absolutely best for the success of the company,” she writes on EWP’s website. “When I do have my own family, maybe one day we will stand together and look at the power stations and they would say “mommy contributed to changing the world.”
