Page 14: of Marine Technology Magazine (November 2015)

Tech File

Power in the Waves

For Multiple Offshore & Subsea Applications

By Eric Haun ave power is progressing as a viable source of not ready for survivability ? rst, then reliability second,” Heinz renewable energy, and recently that progress has said. “The wave energy industry is going through the same

Waccelerated. One of the companies leading wave problems. . . Everyone is trying to build these very large de- power’s advancement is New Jersey based Ocean Power vices at utility scale because that’s where the in? uence and

Technologies (OPT), considered a pioneer in the arena with money.” more than 20 years’ experience in generating electrical energy With that in mind, and vying against more than 150 global from waves. With its PowerBuoy system, the company has competitors trying to secure niche capabilities to turn waves shifted its focus from larger scale power generation to a more into electrical energy, OPT has implemented a step change. targeted, and importantly, survivable and reliable product. “What did wind do after its initial failures? It went to small,

The wave power sector has encountered its share of chal- remote locations where a little bit of power made a big differ- lenges over the years. David Heinz, Chief Operating Of? cer ence,” Heinz said.

at OPT, likened the current state of the wave power business to OPT, too, has “gone small.” The company has been involved that of the wind power industry in its formative years: just as in numerous wave power projects since its formation the early the ? rst utility scale offshore wind farms “failed catastrophi- 1990s, taking stabs at various forms of wave energy genera- cally,” wave power too is encountering its own growing pains. tion, but has more recently shifted focus to a solution that ef- “[Early offshore wind farms] failed because the industry was ? ciently serves smaller scale non-grid connected applications

APB350 Being Transported To Launch Site.

Photo: OPT

November/December 2015

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