BPS readies new cable for bioWAVE unit

BioPower Systems (BPS) has completed the onshore activities related to the cable replacement on its bioWave wave energy unit.

The Australian wave energy developer has set up a new armored subsea cable segment for the Port Fairy wave energy project beginning of December, 2016, the company informed.

The new cable will be used as a replacement for the damaged section identified during the commissioning activities of the bioWAVE unit back in September last year.

“Over the past two weeks BPS and sub-contractors have been working on the shore area of Taylors Bay to set up a new armored subsea cable segment for the wave energy project. This activity has been completed, and we are now awaiting suitable weather for placing the cable segment offshore,” BPS said.

The device has been deployed off Victoria, Australia since December 2015. bioWAVE, equipped with a 250kW generator, is a 26 meters tall oscillating structure designed to sway back-and-forth beneath the ocean swell.

Also, BPS informed it has completed the development of a new automated ocean wave forecasting system which uses regional wave forecasts combined with fine-scale wave propagation models to predict the conditions at specific site locations.

The technology is important for operating wave energy projects and could also be useful for aquaculture, fishing, diving, and oil & gas operations, according to BPS.