HydroVision International 2015

Steve Kopf
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Northwest Energy Innovations


As the Founder and CEO of Northwest Energy Innovations (NWEI), Steven Kopf oversees the development and commercialization of the Azura™ wave energy technology. Azura is a multi-mode point absorber which is being tested at the US Navy’s Wave Energy Test Site (WETS) on Oahu, Hawai’i. With twenty nine years of engineering and business development experience in the marine, aerospace, energy and transportation sectors, Mr. Kopf has a proven track record of leading early-stage technologies and new businesses from concept to commercialization. He holds a degree in Aerospace and Ocean Engineering from Virginia Tech. Prior to founding NWEI he held various engineering and leadership positions at General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, and DuPont. Kopf leads the development of the Azura technology, which is a collaborative effort between NWEI, Callaghan Innovation, and Energy Hydraulics Ltd. NWEI recently secured a global exclusive technology license from Callaghan to commercialize the Azura technology. Callaghan led the conceptualization and early development of the technology in New Zealand and is now supporting NWEI to refine the design. EHL also plays a critical role in advancing the technology and is responsible for the engineering, fabrication, and testing of the power conversion system. Deployment and testing of the Azura at WETS is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Navy, and the University of Hawai’i.

Sessions :