Marine energy technology firm Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) on Monday said it had begun ocean trials of the first of its new generation utility-scale PowerBuoy device, the PB150. The ocean trials are being conducted at a site approximately 33 nautical miles from Invergordon, off ScotlandÂ’s northeast coast, and are expected to last up to three months.
A broad range of operations and functional tests are being performed, examining the response of the PowerBuoyÂ’s structure and mooring system to the waves and the power produced by the on-board generator. A wave data buoy located near the site provides detailed information regarding incoming waves.
The 150-kW-rated device was deployed this April by a team including Scotland-based Global Maritime Scotland Ltd, Port Services Ltd, and OPT, with the support of the Cromarty Firth Port Authority. A second PB150 is now under construction in the U.S. for an anticipated utility-scale project in Oregon, and the company is involved in other planned projects in North America, Australia, Japan, and Europe that would utilize the PB150 PowerBuoy.
