OPT redeploys PowerBuoy

Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) has redeployed the repaired APB350 A1 PowerBuoy following the damage caused by the hurricane earlier this year.

According to OPT, the sea trials off New Jersey coast have been resumed.

George Kirby, President and CEO of OPT, said: “We are encouraged by A1’s performance to date including power generation during its initial deployment. Three key focal points of the A1 sea trial have demonstrated considerable progress toward commercial readiness: the linear seal, which prevents water from entering the buoy, the PTO, which has showed minimal wear during the initial deployment, and the survivability of the PowerBuoy system during high sea states.”

Kirby also noted that the buoy demonstrated and communicated meteorological data including air temperature, wind speed and direction, and atmospheric pressure using the buoy’s integrated weather station.

In addition, the A1 PowerBuoy demonstrated its ability to generate sufficient power at low sea states, confirming significant PTO efficiency improvements as compared to the previous design, according to OPT.

The improvements extend the buoy’s ability to provide required power to its payload over longer ‘zero wave’ periods, which, OPT states, is a critical performance requirement for potential customers of autonomous offshore power.

Mike Mekhiche, OPT’s Vice President of Engineering, said: “The A1 has been impressive in its power generation performance, often significantly exceeding the name plate rating of 350 W. To date, the maximum power produced during any 24 hour period has exceeded 28 kWh, which is 233% more than the nameplate rating of 8.4 kWh.”

OPT has also released selected performance data gathered during the A1’s initial deployment as well as initial results of the Accelerated Life Testing (ALT) on its redesigned APB350 power take-off (PTO) system.

The ALT process consists of operating PTOs in tandem with accelerated operating profiles, which subjects the PTOs to various load conditions encountered in extreme sea states. The objective of the test is to simulate an equivalent three-year ocean deployment within a period of approximately nine months using PTOs that are identical to those of the A1.

Ocean Power Technologies is a New Jersey-based wave energy developer that has designed their proprietary PowerBuoy technology based on a modular design.

Image. OPT/Deployed ABP350 A1 PowerBuoy