Purenco’s WEC (wave energy converter) absorbs energy from ocean waves, and converts it to useful energy, in the form of a controlled flow of hydraulic high pressure fluid. The hydraulic energy is then either converted further  into electrical electricity through a turbine and a generator, or is used to pressurize seawater to power a reverse osmosis plant producing freshwater.


The patented Purenco concept is based on floating buoys connected by wire to a self-tightening winch, further connected to a gear transfer machinery and a hydraulic conversion system which outputs energy in a useful form (e.g. electricity or pressure for desalination of seawater). When a buoy is moved by the waves, the wire is pulled out, and the winch is forced to rotate outward, by means of which mechanical energy is transferred from the waves into the winch machinery. From this outward rotation is mechanical energy is tapped, which is converted mechanically (geared up) and then hydraulically smoothed and temporarily stored. 


The winch and the power-take-off machinery associated with it might be placed on-shore or off-shore, as single. The key concept is survivability. The system is designed not to try to harness the most violent waves; If the a wave has too much energy for the system to survive, a built-in self regulatory protection mechanism is activated, preventing that too much energy from entering the system, thereby ensuring the survivability of the wave power plant. The wave power plant does not absorb more energy from the waves than it can safely handle. In events of storms and extreme waves, the excess energy that would otherwise damage the system, simply remains in the sea. The Purenco WEC has been designed to avoid absorbing the excessive energy of extreme waves, and has the ability to survive in all weather conditions. In the mathematical study performed by CMR Prototech in 2008, the concept was successfully tested for waves up to 25 meters.