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PENNINGTON, New Jersey, US, October 12, 2005
(Refocus Weekly)
The U.S. Navy has provided additional funding of
US$2.8 million for development of a 1 MW wave power station off
Hawaii.
Ocean Power Technologies is building the facility at the Marine
Corps Base at Kaneohe Bay on the island of Oahu. The new contract
will support development of its 150 kW PowerBuoy in the project,
which will provide power for 500 to 1,000 homes.
“We are very pleased that the Navy continues to share with OPT a
strong commitment to the success of the Hawaii program,” says chief
executive officer George Taylor. “In addition to funding, the Navy
provides its expertise in the areas of marine construction and
systems operation in the dynamic ocean environment.”
“We are confident that this partnership will establish the
foundation for OPT to provide its wave power stations to serve the
grids of Hawaii and other environmentally-conscious markets,” he
adds. The U.S. Navy has 200 bases around the world, many of which
are suitable for wave power stations which would reduce dependence
on shipments of fuel oil and provide other sustainable advantages.
OPT installed its first PowerBuoy near Kaneohe Bay in June, 2004,
using local divers and workboat subcontractors to tow the generator
to the deployment site and connect it to the anchor on the sea
bottom. The unit is located 1 km off the coast in 30 m of water, and
has a rated capacity of 50 kW.
Prior to installation, the station underwent an extensive
environmental assessment by engineers in accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act, which featured evaluation of
potential impacts on the seabed; fish and organisms; vegetation; and
sea quality. A ‘Finding of No Significant Impact’ was issued
following that evaluation.
In 2002, OPT received $4.3 million from the U.S. Navy Office of
Naval Research for the first major phase of the Hawaii project, and
another $2 was provided in defence appropriations.
In June of this year, OPT signed an agreement with Total Energie
Développement and Iberdrola for the development of a wave power
station in France that could be up to 5 MW in size. Last year, it
signed an agreement with Iberdrola, Sodercan and IDAE for a 1.3 MW
wave power station off the coast of the Cantabria region in northern
Spain.
OPT is the world’s first publicly-listed wave power company. Its
wave energy systems are based on modular, buoy-like structures which
respond to changing wave conditions. It converts wave energy into a
controlled mechanical force which drives an electrical generator and
officials claim the total operating costs will be 3-4¢/kWh for
systems of 100 MW capacity, and 7-10¢/kWh for 1 MW plants, including
maintenance and operating expenses, as well as the amortized capital
cost of the equipment.
It says onshore wind is 5-10¢, offshore wind is 8-15¢/ and solar PV
is 10-50¢/kWh. A 10 MW OPT power station would occupy only 4 acres
of ocean space, and wave energy is the most predictable and
dependable form of renewable energy, it adds. Wave energy does not
threaten marine life, has no noise or visual pollution, and “helps
reduce shoreline erosion.”
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