US wave developer Columbia Power Technologies has received a patent from New Zealand for its StingRAY device’s generator air-gap control system.
The Oregon-based company says the system allows a smaller air-gap between a large-diameter generator’s rotor and stator, improving performance and availability without a corresponding increase in weight and cost.
The design is being validated in a US Department of Energy-sponsored land-based test.
The pre-assembly of a 6.6-meter diameter generator is currently underway in Ridgefield in Washington state. Once the pre-fit work is finished and approval to proceed has been received, the system will be tested at the National Wind Technology Centre near Denver, Colorado.
Columbia Power’s StingRAY wave power technology, which has received eleven patents, employs two large-diameter, direct-drive permanent magnet generators and will be tested at the US Navy’s Wave Energy Test Site following the power take-off testing.
Image: Stingray wave energy device (InterMoor)
