Rock Electrical Helps Power a World-First Tasmanian Desalination Project

A groundbreaking clean water project off the Tasmanian coast has earned global recognition, and Rock Electrical & Solar was part of the team that made it happen.

The oPod Aqua, a floating desalination system developed by Queensland company Blue Carbon, has been named one of just 20 category semi-finalists in the XPRIZE Water Scarcity competition - a $119 million global initiative aimed at enabling widespread access to clean water through reliable, affordable and sustainable seawater desalination. The competition drew 674 teams from 86 countries, and the oPod Aqua is the only Australian entrant in its systems and innovation category.

Currently tethered in Okehampton Bay near Orford, the pendulum-shaped pod uses wave, solar and wind energy to turn seawater into drinking water completely off-grid. Most of the 26-metre structure sits below the surface, with only a small buoy-like section visible above the waterline. The current prototype produces around 100 litres of fresh water an hour, with next-generation units expected to produce far more.

Blue Carbon credited the contractors behind the deployment, naming Rock Electrical & Solar alongside BLW Marine Management, Marine Solutions and West Marine. “Their expertise, commitment, and hands-on support have been instrumental to the project's success,” the company said.

“It is not every day you get to work on something like this, right here in Tassie,” says Josh from Rock Electrical. “As a local electrician in Hobart, we were proud to put our hand up and lend our marine electrical experience to a project that could help solve water problems all over the world. It was a real team effort out on the water, and a great one to be part of.”

From off-grid solar to specialised work on and around the water, Rock Electrical & Solar continues to take on projects across southern Tasmania that go well beyond the everyday. If you have a marine or off-grid project in mind, you can learn more about our marine electrical services or give Josh and the team a call.

Recognition on the world stage

The XPRIZE Water Scarcity competition is a five-year, $119 million global initiative, run under the title sponsorship of the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative, that challenges innovators to design affordable, energy-efficient desalination without harming the surrounding environment.

Proven in real-world conditions

What makes the result stand out is that teams have to prove their technology works in the real world and not just in the lab, which is exactly why having an experienced local team out on the water in Tasmania mattered so much to the deployment.

Read more about the project

You can read Blue Carbon's full announcement about the oPod Aqua and its XPRIZE Water Scarcity semi-final placing on their website: Aussie oPod gets nod from global water prize.