OPT deploys wave power device in Hawaii

February 3, 2010

OPT said the latest PB40 device in Hawaii has a more efficient drive train

Wave power pioneers Ocean Power Technologies, Inc., has deployed its latest PowerBuoy device at the Marine Corps Base in Hawaii, it said yesterday.

The latest 40kW device now has a more efficient drive train, the New Jersey company said.

OPT has been working with the US Navy on the project, which could lead to similar technology being used to generate renewable energy at other naval bases around the world.

The Navy is aiming to cut its dependence on foreign oil under an executive order ultimately requiring half its energy to come from renewable sources.

As it deployed the 40kW PB40 device at Kaneohe Bay on the island of Oahu, OPT said it has now been awarded a further $380,000 to fund the commissioning and in-ocean operation of the PowerBuoy system.

Carried out by OPT’s local diving and work boat contractor Sea Engineering, Inc., deployment took a single day, with the system located about a mile off shore in 100 feet of water.

The device is now generating power under a test protocol.

“Efficient”

Charles F. Dunleavy, Chief Executive Officer of OPT, said, “We are very pleased that the enhanced PowerBuoy, which has a more efficient power take-off system, is now operating in the ocean off Hawaii.

“This latest deployment at the Kaneohe Bay site was achieved quickly and effectively. The development of our core PowerBuoy technology has been accomplished in large part as a result of our relationship with the US Navy over many years. We are most appreciative of the on-going support of the US Navy, and the Congressional delegations of Hawaii and New Jersey.”

The PowerBuoy floats on the surface of the water, but with most of the device submerged beneath the surface. A piston system then bobs up and down with the motion of the waves, driving a generator.

Ocean Power Technologies has been testing the technology at the Oahu base since 2008, and is now working on a utility-scale 150kW device, the PB150.

The system is being built in Scotland for its maiden deployment in the Orkney Isles later in 2010, with a second device planned for Reedsport, Oregon also later this year.

OPT deploys wave power device in Hawaii

Wave power pioneers Ocean Power Technologies, Inc., has deployed its latest PowerBuoy device at the Marine Corps Base in Hawaii, it said yesterday.

The New Jersey company has been working with the US Navy on the project, which could lead to similar technology being used to generate renewable energy at other naval bases around the world.

The Navy is aiming to cut its dependence on foreign oil under an executive order ultimately requiring half its energy to come from renewable sources.

As it deployed the 40kW PB40ES device at Kaneohe Bay on the island of Oahu, OPT said it has now been awarded a further $380,000 to fund the commissioning and in-ocean operation of the PowerBuoy system.

Carried out by OPT’s local diving and work boat contractor Sea Engineering, Inc., deployment took a single day, with the system located about a mile off shore in 100 feet of water.

The device is now generating power under a test protocol.

The PowerBuoy floats on the surface of the water, but with most of the device submerged beneath the surface. A piston system then bobs up and down with the motion of the waves, driving a generator.

Ocean Power Technologies has been testing the technology at the Oahu base since 2008, and is now working on a utility-scale 150kW device, the PB150.

The system is being built in Scotland for its maiden deployment in the Orkney Isles later in 2010, with a second device planned for Reedsport, Oregon also later this year.