Initial development of CETO began in 1999 with desk top research and design. Work on the design of the CETO technology platform commenced in 2003 with the construction of the first prototype unit starting at the end of the same year. The CETO I prototype proved the concept of generating zero-emission power and freshwater from the ocean waves in 2006.

Between 2006 and 2008 CETO 2 prototypes were developed and tested in the waters off Fremantle in Western Australia at Carnegie’s purpose built Wave Energy Research Facility. These were approximately 1kW prototypes and provided new commercial design concepts.

In the period from 2009 to 2015, Carnegie worked on a significant scale up of the CETO system from the 1kW early prototypes to 80kW and then to 240kW units which were tested in a full-scale project environment at Carnegie’s Garden Island site in Western Australia. The Perth Wave Energy Project involved the design, construction and operation of three 240kW CETO 5 units for over 14,000 cumulative hours across four seasons. Both power and water were produced and sold to the Australian Department of Defence who operate Australia’s largest naval base, HMAS Stirling, on Garden Island.

Work began in 2013 on the next generation CETO 6 design which has a targeted capacity of 1MW. The CETO 6 generation will again be demonstrated first at Carnegie’s Garden Island site in Western Australia ahead of international installations.