US-based Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) has signed an agreement with Enel Green Power to evaluate the deployment methods of its wave-powered PB3 PowerBuoy off the coast of Chile.

A detailed study of the device and its use as an autonomous platform hosting oceanographic sensors will cover the best transport, deployment and servicing methods (using local companies and suppliers), as well as the best
sensors to be mounted on the PB3.

George Kirby, OPT’s president and CEO (www.oceanpowertechnologies.com), said: “Enel Green Power is a world leader in delivering renewable energy, and the PB3 PowerBuoy could bring new jobs and other economic benefits to local economies — in Chile and elsewhere.”

The PB3 PowerBuoy uses ocean waves to provide clean electric power and real-time data communications for on-board payloads or equipment located on the sea-bed.

Enel Green Power, the renewable-energy division of the Enel Group, has been established to accelerate the development and operation of renewable-energy projects around the world.