Successful innovation strategies to overcome the technical challenges in the development of wave energy technologies

The process of designing wave energy technologies is complex and time-consuming, involving many decisions. Despite numerous wave energy concepts being developed in the last 30 years, none have reached commercial readiness due to unresolved technical challenges and high costs in comparison to other renewable energy sources. To address the wave energy industry's high aspirations, this research proposes a systematic problem-solving approach based on sound Systems Engineering methods from the outset of technology development. Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is used for problem formulation and selection, ensuring the traceability of requirements. The Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) is used for concept generation, providing efficiency and predictability by exploring a vast solution space. This approach has identified the top-five Inventive Principles to overcome the most critical technical challenges for wave energy technologies in the utility-scale market. Promising concepts are also suggested for each Inventive Principle. While the current research does not focus on a specific concept, this approach provides a structured way to assess the potential of innovative archetypes holistically.