Riding The Wild Surf Into A Green Future

Three-quarters of a mile off the shore of the Kaneohe Marine Corps Base on the east coast of Oahu, Hawaii, bobs a single PB40 PowerBuoy in 100 feet of water.

Deployed in December 2009, as part of ongoing program with the US Navy for ocean testing and demonstration of Ocean Power Technologies’ (OPT) PowerBuoys. Since deployment the sea trials have produced power in accordance with the system’s specifications for local wave conditions. This spring, they’re going to connect it to the base’s energy grid. When that happens, it will send up to 40 kilowatts of energy back to shore. That’s enough energy to power roughly two dozen homes.

Compact and modular in design, the PB40 PowerBuoy is less than 12 feet in diameter and 55 feet long. It is based on OPT’s proprietary design which is primarily below the sea surface when deployed, with minimal visual impact.

Many U.S. naval bases around the world are suitable for wave power stations. With that in mind, the Navy and OPT have been jointly advancing PowerBuoy technology for a number of years. This has resulted in significant advances to the PowerBuoy design and increased operational efficiency.

The rising and falling of the waves off shore causes the buoy to move freely up and down. The resultant mechanical stroking is converted via a sophisticated power take-off to drive an electrical generator. The generated power is transmitted ashore via an underwater power cable.

A 10-Megawatt OPT power station would occupy only approximately 30 acres (0.125 square kilometers) of ocean space.

Sensors on the PowerBuoy continuously monitor the performance of the various subsystems and surrounding ocean environment. Data is transmitted to shore in real time. In the event of very large oncoming waves, the system automatically locks-up and ceases power production. When the wave heights return to normal, the system unlocks and recommences energy conversion and transmission of the electrical power ashore.

• Buoys are spaced to maximize energy capture.

• Rugged, simple steel construction.

• Utilizes conventional mooring systems.

• Simple installation using existing marine vessels and infrastructure.

• Scalable to large power stations (100+ MW)

The OPT wave power project at Oahu underwent an extensive environmental assessment by an independent environmental firm in accordance with the National Environment Policy Act (NEPA). This study featured evaluation of potential impacts on: the seabed, fish and benthic organisms, mammals, vegetation, and water quality. The project study resulted in a finding of no significant impact (FONSI), which is the highest such environmental rating.

… as the green future unfolds!

Tags: climate, Economic, Electrical generator, energy conversion, energy grid, environment, Everything Solar, Going Green, green, kaneohe marine corps base, Kids and Teens, Microscope, money, oahu hawaii, ocean environment, ocean power, ocean space, Off the shelf, oncoming waves, operational efficiency, proprietary design, School Time, sea trials, Social Studies, sophisticated power, space sensors, square kilometers, u s naval bases, water, wave conditions, wave heights, wave power, wild surf, wind

This entry was posted on Monday, March 1st, 2010 at 11:26 pm and is filed under Going Green, Green Living, science. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.