Finavera Renewables has begun construction on the AquaBuOY 2.0 wave energy converter at Oregon Iron Works in Portland, Oregon.
Deployment of the second generation AquaBuOY wave technology is planned for later this year off the coast if Oregon.
Test and measurement equipment will be installed on the AquaBuOY to monitor its operational performance that will lead to plans for the optimisation of design and the path to product commercialisation.
The AquaBuOY is a floating buoy structure that is designed to convert the kinetic energy of the vertical motion of oncoming waves into electricity. Energy transfer takes place by converting the vertical component of wave kinetic energy into pressurised seawater by means of two-stroke hose pumps. The pressurized seawater is directed into a turbine driving a generator.