By the Gazette-Times | Posted: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 12:00 am
The newest prototype of a wave energy device being developed by Oregon State University and Columbia Power Technologies was successfully tested last month in the ocean off Newport, providing valuable data and moving the research program closer to commercialization.
In a $1 million research effort during the past year, 18 different "direct drive" wave energy technologies have been evaluated, five of the most promising were selected from that group, and one approach has now been tested in the ocean.
The work has been a collaboration of OSU, Columbia Power Technologies and the Facilities Engineering Command of the U.S. Navy.
Commercialization within two or three years is promising, researchers say.
"Our latest test went exceedingly well," said Ted Brekken, an assistant professor of electrical engineering at OSU. "The buoy produced significant power, the hydrodynamic behavior fit our expectations and design, the placement and deployment went smoothly."
There are different approaches towards tapping the power of heaving ocean swells, scientists say, but OSU is focused on a direct drive technology that eliminates the need for hydraulic systems and may be more efficient and durable in a rugged ocean environment.