Renewable energy company CCell joins forces with Vicor to accelerate coral reef restoration

CCell Renewables is a marine science company that aims to curb coastal erosion and improve marine ecosystems by restoring and planting new coral reefs at scale. The latest data shows that more than 70% of the world's coastlines are eroding, 200 million people worldwide rely on the protection provided by coral reefs, and communities and livelihoods in many habitats around the world are at risk.

The CCell coral reef cultivation system is based on the electrolysis of seawater, which deposits calcium carbonate (limestone) on a large steel frame with anodes and cathodes (electrodes), giving new coral reefs their early structure. This technology is revolutionary, producing incredibly strong limestone on which corals can grow in just 5 years instead of hundreds of years. In addition, CCell also uses renewable energy such as solar, wind and wave energy to power the coral reef cultivation system.

The output voltage of all these renewable energy sources varies greatly depending on environmental conditions, which is a major problem in the electrolysis process. The limestone structure that the coral polyps grow in must grow at an optimal rate, be free of impurities, and have a strong molecular structure. The electrolysis process must be precise. Too slow and nothing will grow; too fast and the limestone will not last. Therefore, the distribution network must be able to adapt to a wide range of challenging environments and operate with a high degree of control and precision.

Power distribution network

Given the widely varying input voltage specifications and the need to tightly regulate the potential difference (electric field) between the electrodes within the “ideal zone” of 1.2V to 4V, while driving a precisely calculated current through the seawater, Vicor recommends using its Factorized Power Architecture (FPA).

By decomposing the DC-DC function into two modules, the PRM regulator and the VTM current multiplier, the regulation and conversion of the power distribution network can be optimized.

The PRM buck-boost regulator operates over a wide input voltage and uses a zero voltage switching (ZVS) topology to achieve very high efficiency and power density. In addition, the PRM can be easily paralleled to achieve higher power. The VTM is a fixed ratio (unregulated) resonant converter with high current density. The PRM and VTM work closely together, with the PRM strictly regulating the voltage required by the coral reef, while the VTM handles the step-down conversion and the current provided to the electrodes.

“This complex and unique application has many constantly changing variables that require precise measurement and control to accelerate the growth of coral reefs,” said Will Bateman, CEO of CCell. “Using Vicor’s FPA, we now have a high-performance design that we believe will greatly improve ecosystems and communities across the planet.”

CCell has been working to plant coral reefs around the world and is currently preparing to create a new 200-meter-long coral reef in Mexico.