Australian wave and tidal energy developer, BioPower Systems, has completed the designs for its bioWAVE Pilot Demonstration Project off the coast of Victoria and will begin contracting for the project over the next few months.
Local businesses and people will be contracted as much as possible, Tim Finnigan from BioPower Systems is cited by the ABC News portal as saying.
The project is nearing its application and construction phase and the company plans to commence the manufacturing of the wave energy generator onshore by early next year.
The company’s bioWAVE Pilot Demonstration Project is funded with $5.6 million from the Emerging Renewables Program and $5 million from the Victorian Government’s Sustainable Energy Pilot Demonstration program. BioPower Systems and several project partners are also contributing funds, equipment, or services, in support of the $15 million project.
Recently, the company has formed a strategic alliance with Shanghai Electric Power Generation Group to collaborate on technical developments to advance the bioWAVE ocean wave energy system to the commercial stage.
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Offshore WIND Staff, November 15, 2012; Image: BioPower