Greentech Lead China: BioPower Systems has formed a
strategic alliance with major Chinese industrial group, Shanghai Electric Power
Generation Group.
The alliance is aimed at collaborating on technical
developments to advance the bioWAVE ocean wave energy system to the commercial
stage.
“This alliance, between BioPower Systems and what is
one of the largest diversified equipment manufacturing groups in China,
intends to enable development of the bioWAVE to a commercial stage within a
reasonable time frame,” said Dr Timothy Finnigan, CEO of BioPower
Systems.
Earlier this year, the Australian Government announced a
funding contribution of $5.6 million from the Emerging Renewables
Program to BioPower Systems in support of the 250kW bioWAVE pilot demonstration
project at Port Fairy, Victoria. This added to the $5
million grant from the Victorian Government’s Sustainable Energy Pilot
Demonstration program, awarded to the company in December 2011.
The Port Fairy pilot demonstration project, which is
currently entering the construction stage, is intended to trial the bioWAVE
technology at an ocean site located 850 meters from shore in 30-meter deep
water, with power delivered to the national electricity grid via a subsea
cable. Installation of the 250kW bioWAVE unit is scheduled to occur in late
2013.
The upcoming pilot demonstration at Port Fairy follows a
6-year R&D program, during which BioPower Systems has built and validated
its O-Drive 250kW module, which is designed to plug into wave and tidal energy
systems, such as the company’s bioWAVE and bioSTREAM. It is a detachable
self-contained module that converts the oscillating forces from the ocean into
AC power.
Shanghai Electric will act as an observer during the Port
Fairy project, becoming more technically involved as BioPower Systems moves on
to the next stage of commercialisation, which includes development and
operation of a 1MW commercial-scale bioWAVE system.
“With its expertise in power generation and
manufacturing, including a new division for manufacture of wind turbines,
Shanghai Electric has ample capacity to assist BioPower Systems with further
development of the bioWAVE technology,” said Dr Finnigan.