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08/13/07 SRI Taps Oceanic Waves as a Potential Source
of Energy for the Region
On the morning of August 2, 2007, SRI
launched its buoy prototype designed to test the power generated from oceanic
waves as a means to determine if such electrical power could benefit the
Bay Area region in the future.
SRI offices are located in the Bayboro Marine
District in downtown St. Petersburg at the University of South Florida’s Knight Oceanographic Research Center. The buoy was launched into the
waters of Tampa Bay and will reside about one mile east of downtown St. Petersburg. Over the next month, SRI will test and monitor the buoy prototype as a power
source from wave action and its commercial capacity usage potential in the
next two to ten years. Its initial research, development and testing phase
consists of a timeframe covering the next three years.
The buoy is a sophisticated system and its
methodology is supported by researchers and scientists worldwide for its
potential capacity to provide electricity for a city grid system and the possibility
for it to produce high enough levels of electricity to power an entire
region. A large commercial system structure could involve hundreds of
larger buoys connected together and placed a few miles offshore, capable of
producing 1,000 watts of power per buoy. The power generated would be
stored in a battery unit aboard the buoy, then transmitted to a power grid
on land via an underwater power line connection.
The waters of Tampa Bay generate currents strong
enough for SRI’s initial research, development and testing of its prototype
unit. Future plans for commercial application of the power generator would
require such a system being permanently located in the Gulf Stream in the
Gulf of Mexico off of Florida’s coastline.
Mayor Baker was on hand August 2nd
for the launching of SRI’s buoy prototype and stated “There can be nothing
more ideal than to use the ocean to identify alternative forms of
generating electricity. It could be a valuable tool in meeting Governor
Crist’s new mandate to lower greenhouse gas emissions and increase the use
of renewable energy sources of Florida’s electric utilities.”
SRI is a key research and development entity in
our community and business economy which has been highly recognized as a
technology innovator by the State of Florida. Enterprise Florida (eFlorida)
recently produced a video on SRI detailing its strengths and the State of Florida’s high tech corridor to provide high-tech firms interested in residing in Florida a demonstration of the state’s capacity to support such business entities.
Click here to view the Enterprise Florida (eFlorida) video feature on SRI.
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