Columbia Power gets New Zealand patent

Columbia Power Technologies has received a patent from New Zealand for its generator air-gap control system.

This is the first of the Columbia Power’s pending national patents to be issued for its innovative air-gap control technology, the company states.

The system allows a smaller air-gap between a large-diameter generator’s rotor and stator, improving performance and availability without a corresponding increase in weight and cost.

The design is being validated in a US Department of Energy-sponsored land-based test, Columbia Power informed.

The pre-assembly of a 6.6 m diameter generator is currently underway in Ridgefield, WA.

Once the pre-fit work is finished and approval to proceed has been received, the system will be tested at the National Wind Technology Center near Denver, Colorado, USA.

Columbia Power’s StingRAY wave power technology employs two large-diameter, direct-drive permanent magnet generators, and will be tested at the US Navy’s Wave Energy Test Site following the power take-off testing.

StingRAY wave energy converter has recently been backed by the certification body for renewable energy services DNV GL which issued a Statement of Feasibility for the device.