EC-OG’s Subsea Battery For “World-first” Autonomous Offshore Power Trials in Hawaii
Aberdeen-based subsea battery developer EC-OG has made the first commercial delivery of its Halo subsea battery storage system.
The lithium-ion-based device will be part of “a world-first autonomous offshore power sea trial” in Q1 2022 at the US Navy Wave Energy Test Site, off the coast of the Hawaiian island of Oahu.
EC-OG’s Halo system will be integrated into the sea trial in which Columbia Power Technologies, Inc. (C-Power), a leader in ocean energy systems, will demonstrate its Autonomous Offshore Power System (AOPS) in partnership with the US Department of Energy, as well as companies such as Saab, BioSonics and Franatech.
The AOPS provides in-situ power, energy storage, and real-time data and communications to enable autonomous, connected, and resident offshore technologies. The systems are designed to support unmanned offshore activities, including subsea vehicles, sensor packages and operating equipment.
On arrival at site in Hawaii, Halo will be fully integrated with C-Power’s SeaRAY wave energy converter as part of the AOPS system. EC-OG’s device will provide the seafloor base unit and the payload interfaces for power, data, and communications to multiple subsea payloads, ensuring continuous energy availability for remote subsea operations, EC-OG said.
Paul Slorach, business development director at EC-OG said: “The EC-OG team is excited to export our first Halo unit to Hawaii and be part of this innovative and world-first demonstration project alongside our client C-Power and other project partners.
“This is a crucial project for the industry which will demonstrate the integration of a selection of novel subsea technologies to deliver a reliable source of power as well as real-time over-the-horizon data communications. The learnings from this project will be significant for the development of the blue economy and further decarbonization of offshore operations globally.”
Designed for the harsh subsea environment, the Halo system is a modular and scalable battery storage solution and gateway for renewable energy to high-value assets which provides a reliable, uninterrupted power supply predominantly for seabed use, EC-OG said.
Reenst Lesemann, chief executive officer of C-Power, added: “EC-OG’s Halo system is an ideal complement to C-Power’s wave energy converters. When combined, the ocean changes from a power desert to a power and data-rich environment for customers who are ready to unleash a wave of innovation in the ocean economy.”
