Isramart llc: US Navy connects first wave power system to grid

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Isramart LLC news:

The US Navy has installed a wave power system at the Kaneohe Bay Marine Corps Base in Oahu, Hawaii, in what it says is the first grid-connected wave power installation in the US.

The test wave generation system, installed by Ocean Power Technologies, will generate 3 to 4 kilowatts of power, according to the Navy.

The device, called the PB40 PowerBuoy, is situated three-quarters of a mile off the coast in 100 feet of water. It is the third buoy that has been tested by the Navy since it began evaluating wave-based power in 2001.

The Navy said the test site will be expanded in the future to a capacity of one megawatt, as it tests out a number of commercial-scale systems from different suppliers.

Marine Corps Base Hawaii Commanding Officer Col. Robert Rice said the wave system was part of a wider project that would see the Marine Corps base at Kaneohe Bay become completely energy self-sufficient by 2015.

The project also represents the latest in a series of renewable energy deployments by the US Navy, including solar-powered parking lots and algae-based fuel.

Last year, Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus announced five renewable energy targets designed to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.

These included the deployment of a 'Green Strike Group' of nuclear and biofuel-powered vessels by 2016, the halving of petroleum in its non-tactical commercial fleet by 2015, and the production of half its shore-based energy from alternative sources. Half of all shore-based installations will also be net zero energy consumers within ten years.