Ocean Power Technologies has expanded its suite of complimentary products that leverage the core technology of the PowerBuoy, which include subsea batteries and a hybrid (liquid-fueled) PowerBuoy.
George H. Kirby , president and chief executive officer of OPT, said, “Our team has been working diligently to identify opportunities to leverage our technologies to address the needs of current and potential customers in subsea environments. These new product offerings provide OPT with the means to better serve customers by expanding its product and service offerings. In addition, this allows us the opportunity to have broader discussions during each customer visit, providing more comprehensive solutions and further establishing our credibility and our ability to address each unique market.
“Our new products, subsea batteries and the hybrid PowerBuoy, along with our existing PB3 PowerBuoy and backed by our existing support services, provide more comprehensive solutions that can meet the needs of more customers requiring reliable power and communications in their subsea work across the globe.”
OPT’s entry into the subsea battery market presents a complementary product to the PB3.
Subsea batteries create a sea floor energy storage solution for remote offshore operations. These subsea batteries use lithium ion batteries to supply power that can enable subsea equipment, sensors, communications and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) and electric remotely operated vehicles (eROV) recharge.
OPT’s PB3 PowerBuoy is complimentary to subsea batteries by providing a means for recharging during longer term deployments, or the batteries can be used independently for shorter term deployments.
The hybrid PowerBuoy will be a smaller liquid-fueled surface buoy, with significant energy storage and capable of providing reliable power in remote offshore locations.
It is primarily intended for shorter term deployment applications such as eROV and AUV inspections and short-term maintenance, topside surveillance and communications, and subsea equipment power purposes.