Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) has completed the grid connection of a wave energy device at the Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH), in conjunction with the US Navy.
The grid connection demonstrates the ability of OPT’s PowerBuoy systems to produce utility-grade, renewable energy that can be transmitted to the grid in a manner fully compliant with national and international standards.
The PB40 PowerBuoy is part of OPT’s ongoing program with the US Navy to develop and test the company’s PowerBuoy wave energy technology.
The wave energy technology was deployed approximately three-quarters of a mile off the coast of Oahu in water depth of 100ft last year.
To date, the PowerBuoy has operated and produced power from over three million power take-off cycles and 4,400 hours of operation.
The system has several on-board sensors that monitor a wide variety of system performance variables, external conditions and lifecycle parameters, OPT said.
Data collected by on-board computers is transmitted to a shore-based facility via a fiber optic cable embedded in the submarine power transmission cable and then transmitted via internet to OPT’s facility in Pennington, New Jersey.