Ocean Power Technologies Announced Results of Autonomous PowerBuoy

Wave Energy Technology Company, Ocean Power Technologies has announced its ocean operations for its autonomous PowerBuoy which was installed recently at New Jersey Coast for the US Navy.

The PowerBuoy was deployed under the US Navy’s Littoral Expeditionary Autonomous PowerBuoy in order to provide continuous power for the radar and communications payload for the US Navy.

The project specifications required for a continuous power supply of 150 W. However, the PowerBuoy supplied a continuous power of more than 400 W throughout the period of installation and achieved a maximum power of 1,500 W. With this capacity, 150 W power supply was achieved for 24 hours/day, 7 days a week for a three month period. The autonomous PowerBuoy performed well under both extreme and calm ocean conditions. The PowerBuoy fell directly under the path of Hurricane Irene during August 2011. Even during the storm the PowerBuoy continued to supply power and emit high amounts of energy in compliance with internal protection systems.

Consistent communication was also maintained with the PowerBuoy during the storm enabling real time monitoring of the performance of the PowerBuoy. The PowerBuoy can operate autonomously by applying power management requisitions and functions for self protection by itself without the need for human guidance.