Oscilla Power starts building smaller version of its utility-scale Triton wave energy device

Business Developments & Projects

July 27, 2023, by Amir Garanovic

US-based wave energy developer Oscilla Power has started with the construction of 1:6 scale version of its 1MW Triton wave energy converter.

The composite hull for the 1:6 scale version of utility-scale Triton wave energy converter (Courtesy of Balky Nair/CEO of Oscilla Power)

Oscilla Power received the composite hull for the 1:6 scale version of its utility-scale, 1MW-rated, Triton wave energy converter.

The company said it started drivetrain integration activities at its facility in Seattle, with the aim to deploy the system off the coast of Maine later in 2023.

“This demonstration will substantially de-risk our utility-scale system and will be a big step towards making ocean wave energy a meaningful part of our shared low-carbon future.

“A big thank you to the US Department of Energy (DOE)’s Water Power Technologies Office and the Washington State Department of Commerce for funding this work. Shout-out to our project partners Glosten, Janicki, Applied Motion Systems, University of Maine and Spencer Fluid Power who have contributed significantly on this project,” said Balky Nair, CEO of Oscilla Power.

Oscilla Power’s Triton wave energy device is a multi-mode point absorber that consists of a geometrically optimized surface float connected to a ring-shaped, vertically asymmetric heave plate.

Triton’s surface float can extract energy from ocean waves in all six degrees of freedom allowing for increased energy capture across a wider range of ocean conditions, according to the company.

To remind, Oscilla Power’s 100kW Triton-C wave energy device is still dockside in Honolulu where it is undergoing final testing and troubleshooting while the company waits for the U.S. Navy to complete upgrades on its berth at the Wave Energy Test Site (WETS) in Kaneohe Bay before starting with the deployment operation.

While the Triton-C is designed to produce 100kW in energetic West coast waves, the waves at the Hawaii site are about half the rated level due to a milder climate.

In addition, the test site is physically constrained to only allow 30kW to the grid, enough to provide power for about 25 houses, Oscilla Power said earlier.