1880
Hydropower
In 1880, a dynamo driven by a water turbine was used to provide arc lighting to a theatre and storefront in Grand Rapids, Michigan​
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In 1881, a dynamo connected to a turbine in a flour mill provided street lighting at Niagara Falls, New York​
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Alternating Current allowed power to be transmitted longer distances and ushered in the first U.S. commercial installation of an alternating current hydropower plant at the Redlands Power Plant in California in 1893.
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1881
Desalination
Before the Industrial Revolution, desalination was primarily of concern to oceangoing ships, which otherwise needed to keep on board supplies of fresh water​
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In the US, Thomas Jefferson catalogued heat-based methods going back to the 1500s, and formulated practical advice that was publicized to all U.S. ships on the backs of sailing clearance permits​
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In 1881, the world's first commercial traditional desalination plant was built in Sleima, Malta. It was called Tigne​
1930
Pumped-storage Hydroelectricity​
The first use of pumped storage was in the 1890s in Italy and Switzerland. ​
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The first use of pumped-storage in the United States was in 1930 by the Connecticut Electric and Power Company, using a large reservoir located near New Milford, Connecticut, pumping water from the Housatonic River to the storage reservoir 230 feet above.
1970s
Renewable Energy
In the 1970s environmentalists promoted the development of renewable energy both as a replacement for the eventual depletion of oil, as well as for an escape from dependence on oil, and the first electricity generating wind turbines appeared. ​
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Solar energy had long been used for heating and cooling, but solar panels were too costly to build solar farms until 1980.
1977
Reverse Osmosis
In 1950, researchers from both University of California at Los Angeles and the University of Florida successfully produced fresh water from seawater semipermeable membranes, but the flow was too low to be commercially viable.​
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In 1977, Florida became the first municipality in the United States to use the RO process on a large scale with an initial operating capacity of 3 million gallons per day.
1999
First Seawater Pumped Storage Power Station
The Okinawa Yanbaru Seawater Pumped Storage Power Station was an experimental hydroelectric power station located in Kunigami, Okinawa, Japan and the world’s first pumped-storage facility to use seawater for storing energy. ​
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Its maximum output was 30 MW. The power station was built in 1999 and was dismantled in 2016.
2015
Oceanus Power & Water, LLC
Oceanus was envisioned in 2015, in the shadow of one of the largest pumped hydro storage facilities in North America. Inspired by the challenge of delivering cost effective energy storage to help manage the growing supply of solar energy in California. But pumped hydro storage is very difficult to develop, so a new approach was required; one that improved both the probability of success and the economic rewards of the venture. ​
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The result of this inspiration was the integration of seawater pumped hydro and seawater reverse osmosis desalination. In 2016, Oceanus Power & Water, LLC was formed to pursue the development of these facilities, initially in Mexico, but also around the globe where ever a large coastal population resides in a semi-arid part of the world.
2016
IPHROCES​
Oceanus completed a desktop study evaluating the integration of seawater pumped hydro storage and seawater reverse osmosis desalination in April 2016. The findings were compelling economic and environmental benefits resulting from the integration and co-location of these existing, bankable technologies.​
The Integrated Pumped Hydroelectric Reverse Osmosis Clean Energy System was named IPHROCES.
2016
IPHRO Systems
Also in 2016, Dr. Maha N. Haji and Professor Alexander H. Slocum from MIT released the article Integrated Pumped Hydro Reverse Osmosis systems.​
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In this article they affirm that a good symbiotic match might thus be realized by co-locating a pumped hydro plant with a reverse osmosis desalination plant. Also, they say that combining systems reduces capital investment, such as pump costs, and solves the desalination brine disposal challenge. ​
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Sharing the same vision, Oceanus and Professor Alexander H. Slocum started working in collaboration to commercialize IPHROCES facilities around the globe.​
2016
Establishment in Mexico​
In 2016, Oceanus launched Oceanus Agua y Energia Mexico, the first subsidiary of Oceanus Power & Water and began looking for project opportunities worldwide:​
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California, USA​
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Central America and the Caribbean​
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South America, Chile and Peru​
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Southern Australia​
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Middle East​
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Africa​
2017
First Project in Mexico
In 2017, Oceanus launched its first project in Mexico, in the state of Sonora.
2018
Establishment in Chile
In 2018, Oceanus launched Oceanus Agua y Energia de Sudamerica in Chile.