A new infusion of $6 million from the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, and Expeditionary Warfare Center will allow the Hawaiʻi Natural Energy Institute (HNEI) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, to continue to provide critical research and logistical support to the only grid-connected wave energy testing site in the nation.
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Known as PacWave, the project is based around two locations: PacWave North, a test-site for small-scale, prototype, and maritime market technologies, and PacWave South, which is under development and has received grants from the Department of Energy and the State of Oregon, among others.
In March, PacWave South which will be located 7 miles offshore in federal waters measuring 70 to 75 meters deep took a significant step forward when it was announced that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission had granted Oregon State University (OSU) a license to build and operate a test facility at the site.
According to OSU, PacWave South is the first commercial-scale, utility grid-connected test site in the United States to obtain a FERC license and will be the first marine renewable energy research facility in federal waters off the Pacific Coast.
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Hawaii Wave Energy Test Site (WETS). Image courtesy Hibbard Inshore
Converted energy from waves powering a Saab Seaeye Sabertooth autonomous vehicle operating in seabed residency mode is a renewable energy breakthrough being put to the test.
C-Power’s SeaRAY Autonomous Offshore Power System (AOPS) provides offshore power, energy storage, and real-time data communications for resident marine systems.
Trials of the Sabertooth residency concept will take place at the U.S. Navy’s Wave Energy Test Site (WETS) in Hawaii and last 20 days. The SeaRAY AOPS and other static assets will remain deployed for six months. The Sabertooth, owned by Hibbard Inshore, and operated on behalf of C-Power, will repeatedly patrol pre-programmed areas to collect data, before returning to an underwater docking station for cloud upload and battery recharge.