Page 67: of Marine Technology Magazine (March 2019)

TECH FILE Subsea Power Connection

OPT Expands Power Options

Ocean energy solutions developer Ocean Power Technolo- gies, Inc. has expanded its suite of complimentary products that leverage the core technology of the PowerBuoy, which include subsea batteries and a hybrid (liquid-fueled) Power-

Buoy.

George H. Kirby, President and Chief Executive Of? cer of

OPT, said, “Our team has been working diligently to iden- tify opportunities to leverage our technologies to address the needs of current and potential customers in subsea environ- ments. These new product offerings provide OPT with the means to better serve customers by expanding its product and service offerings. In addition, this allows us the opportunity to have broader discussions during each customer visit, pro- viding more comprehensive solutions and further establishing our credibility and our ability to address each unique market.

“Our new products, subsea batteries and the hybrid Power-

Buoy, along with our existing PB3 Power-Buoy and backed by our existing support services, provide more comprehensive solutions that can meet the needs of more customers requir- ing reliable power and communications in their subsea work across the globe.”

OPT’s entry into the subsea battery market presents a com- plementary product to the PB3. Subsea batteries create a sea

OPT’s hybrid ? oor energy storage solution for remote offshore operations.

PowerBuoy with

These subsea batteries use lithium ion batteries (often replac- sea? oor battery. ing traditional lead acid batteries) to supply power that can

Image: OPT enable subsea equipment, sensors, communications and au- tonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) and electric remotely operated vehicles (eROV) recharge. OPT’s PB3 PowerBuoy is complimentary to subsea batteries by providing a means for recharging during longer term deploy-ments, or the batteries can be used independently for shorter term deployments. Ideal topside surveillance and communications, and subsea equip- for many re-mote offshore customer applications, these sub- ment power purposes. The hybrid PowerBuoy will be a light sea batteries are anticipated to be high performance, cost-ef? - weight and quickly deployable option designed to be cost- cient, and quickly deployable. Although OPT’s subsea battery effective. It will have a high payload capacity for communica- solutions are currently under development, OPT has already tions and surveillance, with the capability of being tethered to begun marketing its subsea battery solutions to potential cus- subsea payloads and battery packs, and/or PB3 PowerBuoys, tomers around the world and anticipates quoting to customers or with a conventional anchor mooring system. The hybrid as early as the ? rst quarter of calendar year 2019. PowerBuoy will be designed to outperform tradi-tional die-

The hybrid PowerBuoy will be a smaller liquid-fueled sur- sel buoys, which we believe have more frequent service and face buoy, with signi? cant energy storage and capable of pro- refueling intervals. We believe the hybrid PowerBuoy will viding reliable power in remote offshore locations. This prod- be able to operate for years without service, with no internal uct is to be highly comple-mentary to the PB3 PowerBuoy by combustion engine, using environmentally safer and more ro- providing OPT the opportunity to address a broader spectrum bust fuels, while operating in a wider temperature range than of customer deployment needs, with the potential for greater diesel buoys. Although OPT’s hybrid PowerBuoy is currently

OPT integration within each customer pro-ject. It is primar- being developed, OPT has al-ready begun marketing it to po- ily intended for shorter term deployment applications such tential customers around the world and anticipates quoting to as eROV and AUV inspec-tions and short-term maintenance, custom-ers as early as the ? rst half of calendar year 2019.

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Marine Technology Reporter 67

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