Wave energy developer Oscilla Power and the State of Hawaii and University of Hawaii are testing a new way to provide 24-7 access to emergency communications systems for island residents. The approach involves the installation of communication equipment installed on and powered by Oscilla Power's Triton-C wave energy float.
Hawaii's unique topography presents a challenge for emergency communication systems. With valleys and waterways separating counties, there are blind spots for communication signals and it is not practical to install a vastly expensive communication facility on every single ridge. This makes it difficult for officers to call for backup during enforcement and rescue activities, and the public is similarly unable to reach out for help when assistance is needed.
To solve this problem, employees from the State of Hawaii, Office of Enterprise Technology Services, came up with an elegant and simple solution - to mount the communication equipment on the Triton-C wave energy float being deployed at the U.S. Navy's Wave Energy Test Site (WETS), off the MCBH (Marine Corps Base Hawaii), which is managed for the Navy by researchers at the University of Hawaii.
The communication equipment can be reliably powered by the Triton-C, which leverages the consistent motion of waves to generate up to 100kW of clean, reliable power. For this test, the Triton is expected to produce up to 30kW of power to the grid (about 25 houses) and more than enough to power the communications equipment.
"Our wave energy platform has been engineered to withstand the punishing conditions of the sea to provide ongoing power to island communities," said Balky Nair, CEO. "But now that same reliability can be leveraged to provide 24-7 access to critical emergency communications, a real double benefit for this type of application."
Once function is verified and coverage proven to have been effective, additional wave energy floats can be placed offshore in the most remote areas to finally provide desperately needed coverage to these secluded spaces.
"When the State and the University of Hawaii came to us with this idea, we immediately saw the power of the innovative approach," said Tim Mundon, Oscilla Power's Chief Technology Officer. "It's incredibly gratifying to not only be able to create clean power for the island, but also enable critical connectivity that could very well save lives."
About Oscilla Power
Founded in 2009 in Seattle, Oscilla Power develops novel wave energy systems that produce power at a lower levelized cost than traditional wave energy systems, and are cost-competitive with incumbent energy generation systems. Its core Triton wave energy platform is engineered to produce renewable power at a levelized cost that is competitive with current clean energy costs. Oscilla Power is producing two wave energy systems with this multi-mode architecture: the Triton and the Triton-C. The Triton-C is a 100 kW rated power system designed for remote or isolated communities, or small coastal facilities, while the Triton is a 1 MW rated power system that is designed to be installed in large arrays to provide utility-scale power. More information can be found at www.oscillapower.com.
