Two deep-water berths for wave energy device testing have been opened at the US Navy’s Wave Energy Test Site (WETS) off Hawaii.
WETS site now consists of three operational grid-connected wave energy testing berths located in Kaneohe Bay, on the island of Oahu.
The site alredy featured a 30m deep test berth suitable for testing point absorber type WECs, and with the addition of of two deep-water berths at 60 and 80m, both point absorber and oscillating water column testing is now supported at WETS.
Additionally, as part of the WETS infrastructure, data gathering and research devices such as wave measuring buoys, electromagnetic field recorders, and hydrophones, are being deployed in the vicinity of the WEC devices in order to gather baseline oceanographic and environmental data.
Joseph Bryan , Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, said: “When it comes to energy, you can never have too many options. More power from more places translates to a more agile, more flexible and more capable force. We’re always looking for new ways to power the mission, from solar and alternative fuels to wave energy.”
WETS is the product of a partnership between the Department of the Navy, the Navy and Marine Corps, Department of Energy, Hawaii Natural Energy Institute and private sector developers.
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