BioPower's Wave Energy Demonstration Unit Only Weeks Away From Construction

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Perth, Australia)--A total of $10 million in grants from the federal and Victorian governments have boosted BioPower's construction of a $15 million wave energy demonstration unit at Port Fairy, Victoria.

BioPower Systems Private Limited (Sydney, Australia) will develop the Wave Energy Pilot initially as a demonstration facility, which will generate only 0.25 megawatts (MW) of energy. When deployed in late 2013, the demonstration facility will be tested in operation for more than 21 months. Based on the test results, the company will expand the facility to a 1-MW unit.

The ultimate goal of the company is to build a 250-MW Bio-Wave plant, which is far from certain at this point. The pilot project will be connected to the national electricity grid, and is expected to supply enough power for up to 250 homes.

BioPower System initiated this project in 2010. Since then, planning, permitting, and engineering design have progressed according to the schedule.

BioPower Systems Pty Limited is currently conducting final design and is expediting the Port Fairy 0.25-MW Wave Energy Pilot Plant for construction, which is expected to begin by November 2012. The unit will undergo approximately 10 months of construction and will be ready for operations by September 2013.

The plant will feature BioPower's patented, 0.25-MW, Fully Submerged O-Drive Wave Power Conversion Module. The module will be connected to an onshore hydraulic motor, directly coupled to an electric generator to produce up to 0.25 MW of renewable energy for the grid.

BioPower has contracted with Diamond Energy (Victoria, Australia) for the predevelopment needs. AMOG Pty Limited (Victoria, Australia) has been awarded the contract to perform structural engineering design, installation design and execution support for the project. Upon project completion, the single 0.25-MW unit will be tested for a year to determine the possibilities for expansion.

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