Green Marine UK joins C-Power in demonstrating autonomous offshore power system

Scotland’s Green Marine (UK) has joined the U.S.-based C-Power’s Partner Engagement and Co-development (PEC) program to advance autonomous offshore power systems (AOPS).

Green Marine UK is to participate as a collaboration partner in an 18-month demonstration of C-Power’s SeaRAY AOPS. The test will begin in the first quarter of 2025 at the PacWave South wave energy test site off the Oregon coast. 

C-Power will demonstrate the SeaRAY’s ability to support surface and subsurface mobile and static assets with power and data communications, said Green Marine (UK).

According to Green Marine (UK), the SeaRAY AOPS at PacWave South will demonstrate improvements over previous models, such as deep-water mooring, satellite communications, greater generating capacity, increased transportability, better maintenance and operations, and more efficient manufacturing.

Collaboration partners in the PEC Program will have access to real-time data, reports, and insights during the Oregon SeaRAY demonstration. They will also provide feedback to enhance the system’s usability for future applications, said Green Marine (UK).

“Green Marine is a world leader developing solutions and processes for installing, maintaining, and recovering marine technology devices. The service they provide is essential to the ocean economy, and I’m excited for them to observe the capabilities of the SeaRAY AOPS to provide power and data solutions that enable innovation in the services they provide,” said C-Power CEO Reenst Lesemann. 

“Green Marine has been working alongside C-Power for several years now, and we recognize their technology and approach to the marine energy sector as world leading. C-Power’s SeaRAY AOPS is vital for powering autonomous subsea and surface vehicles and remote power requirements, and we look forward to enabling the offshore works to be carried out safely and successfully,” said Green Marine Managing Director Jason Schofield. 

The Oregon co-demonstration, conducted with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), aims to advance the next generation of SeaRAY AOPS. According to Green Marine (UK), it will expand use cases and prove long-term survivability and reliability in harsh ocean conditions. 

The system was developed under a $6 million program co-sponsored by the DOE, C-Power, and several PEC program participants.

A C-Power AOPS is a system that provides in-situ power, energy storage, and real-time data and communications support for offshore applications, including data-gathering equipment, operating equipment, uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). 

In May 2024, C-Power upgraded the SeaRAY ocean energy system and returned it mach to Marine Core Base Hawaii in Oahu, from the company’s facility. At the company’s facility, SeaRAY acquired more refined power electronics and some other improvements, C-Power said.