OPT deploys PowerBuoy at USMC base

Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) has successfully deployed a PowerBuoy at the US Marine Corps (USMC) base in Hawaii and has also received $380,000 (£238,500) in additional funding for commissioning and operation of the technology.

The building, deployment and operation of the PowerBuoy is part of a programme with the US Navy to develop and test OPT’s wave-power technology.

The deployment of the PowerBuoy at the USMC base at Kaneohe Bay on the island of Oahu was accomplished in one day.

The system, based on modular, ocean-going buoys that capture and convert wave energy into electricity, is located approximately one mile offshore in 100ft (30m) of water. It is said to be generating power in accordance with its specifications for local wave conditions and the test protocol being used.

The newly awarded funding will enable the continued testing and monitoring of the PowerBuoy’s operation, providing data for the engineering of the next generation of PowerBuoys.