Adrift at Sea, Generating Electricity

Marine hydrokinetic energy engineers at APL-UW invented a free-drifting power station. The Wave Energy Buoy that Self deploys (WEBS) converts surface wave energy to mechanical and electrical power.
“As opposed to typical wave energy devices that are anchored to the sea floor and cabled to shore, WEBS is all about having an easily deployed power station anywhere in the off-shore environment.” -Andy Stewart, APL-UW Principal Engineer
Potential applications include power sensor payloads for scientific instrumentation; power station for autonomous systems, undersea vehicles, and/or surface vessels; and communications relay.
This research and development project is a collaboration among APL-UW, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and Columbia Power Technologies.