Washington, D.C. -- Rep. Neil Abercrombie today said the installation of a new energy-producing buoy near Kaneohe Bay is a step toward greater energy independence for the state and nation.

Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. (OPT) deployed one of its new PowerBuoy units off Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe—the third such buoy to be installed over the past two months at sites in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans—as part of an alternate energy program with the U.S. Navy.

“The ultimate goal of this project is to tap the power of the ocean’s waves to produce energy for Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe and technology that may be applied on an even larger scale in the future,” said Abercrombie, who helped to secure federal funding for the project as a member of the House Armed Services Committee and two of its key subcommittees. “This project also demonstrates the tremendous value that Hawaii-based defense projects are having on the future needs of our military and civilian communities and our goal to become more energy independent as a state and nation.”

As a member of the House Armed Services Seapower Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over the Navy and Marines, Abercrombie earlier this year successfully targeted more federal funding to a variety of military research and testing contracts in Hawaii, which included $1.6 million for the PowerBuoy system in fiscal year 2009.

OPT, a New Jersey-based company, said deployment of the PowerBuoy was supported by diving and workboat subcontractors in Hawaii and is located approximately one mile off the coast, in 100 feet of water. The system resembles an ocean-going buoy and is less than 12 feet in diameter and 55 feet long. Most of the buoy’s structure is below the ocean surface.

OPT’s Pennington, New Jersey facilities, 5,000 miles away from the Hawaii buoy, is continuously monitoring sensors on the PowerBuoy via radio link and Internet-based communications. The system has the ability to change the operations of the buoy to adjust to changing sea conditions.

The company is a pioneer in wave-energy technology that harnesses ocean wave resources to generate reliable, clean, and environmentally-beneficial electricity. The OPT power project off Oahu has completed an extensive environmental assessment by an independent engineering company in accordance with the National Environment Policy Act.

A workboat crew in Honolulu Harbor prepares the PowerBuoy for installation in the open ocean off the island of Oahu. The new device was installed near Kaneohe Bay and Marine Corps Base Hawaii (below, right). (Photos/Ocean Power Technologies, Inc.)

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