Northwest Energy Innovations (NWEI) has announced the receipt of a competitive funding award from the US Department of Energy to deploy the WET-NZ device at the US Navy’s Wave Energy Test Site (WETS) in Hawaii. The project involves conducting grid-connected testing of the wave energy converter in Kaneohe Bay.
The second generation, ½ scale WET-NZ device is presently deployed at Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center’s (NNMREC) ocean test site off the coast of Newport, Oregon.
Upon conclusion of that testing next month, NWEI will ship the WET-NZ device to Hawaii and redeploy it at the WETS site in Kaneohe Bay.
This funding award builds on NWEI’s previous $1.8M award from the Energy Department’s Wind & Water Power Program, and the Hawaii project will represent the third generation and fourth deployment of the WET-NZ design.
Experience gained from each round of testing is being used to increase power output, reduce cost, and improve the durability and survivability of this innovative wave energy converter.
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Press release, October 1, 2012; Image: Northwest Energy Innovations