Ocean Power Technologies has completed the stage gate review of the PB3 wave device set for delivery to Japan’s Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding.
The US developer’s first commercial PB3 unit has been ocean tested off the New Jersey coast since July and is planned to ship in 2017 for a six-month deployment off Kozu island, Japan.
OPT said the PB3 PowerBuoy had generated over 600kWh of electric power, achieving a single day peak production of 28kWh during its 76-day deployment. That equates to an hourly average of over 1.1kW, it added.
Chief executive George Kirby said: “This milestone sets the stage for OPT to ship the first commercial PB3 PowerBuoy to Japan to begin the Mitusi lease.
“Completion of this critical step enables us to advance our commercialization efforts to future phases and to address applications in our target markets such as oil and gas, ocean observing, security and defence, and communications.”
OPT has tested a second PB3 device since June off New Jersey, achieving a single day peak production of 25kWh during its 97-day deployment, an hourly average of over 1kW.
The device will now be retrofitted with the final power take-off commercial design, identical to the PTO tested in the first commercial PB3.
Image: PowerBuoy (OPT)
