Oscilla Power has completed two key preliminary steps for launching its Triton-C wave energy converter (WEC) at the Wave Energy Test Site (WETS) in Hawaii: relocating the WEC and performing setup and staging activities at the launch site.
These steps are necessary precursors to a full, commercial-scale demonstration once the U.S. Navy completes work on the WETS site.
The Triton-C was towed from Honolulu Harbor to the grid connection point in Kanehoe Bay where the WEC will eventually be tethered for a commercial-scale demonstration. At this location, the team rehearsed and worked through some of the activities needed for the deployment, including testing the ability to manually activate various systems under some of the significant motions experienced. The team is now making any necessary adjustments in advance of full power performance tests in the coming weeks.
“It was an incredibly rewarding experience to get the Triton-C out to its final deployment location and see just how it operates, if only for a few hours,” said Tim Mundon, chief technology officer of Oscilla Power. “We now know what to expect from both setup and operations as we plan for the next phase of the launch — a more expansive testing of the energy capture and power generation components of the Triton. I am proud of the entire team and our partners who have gotten us to this critical juncture.”
The WEC is now staged only 2 miles away from the WETS launch site, allowing Oscilla Power to take advantage of suitable weather and wave conditions for further testing and the ultimate installation. The WETS site is a pre-permitted location and includes all required infrastructure, such as the subsea grid connection and moorings.
Oscilla Power is producing two wave energy systems with its unique multi-mode architecture: Triton and Triton-C. The Triton is a 1 MW rated power system that is designed to be installed in large arrays to provide utility-scale power, while the Triton-C is a 100 kW system designed for isolated power-at-sea applications or remote communities.
The design of Oscilla Power’s Triton™ WEC overcomes the main limitations that have prevented ocean wave energy from being adopted previously by offering increased levels of energy capture, conversion efficiency and survivability in the harsh ocean environment, the company said.
