Hawaii is home to some of the most beautiful environs in the world where the power of Mother Nature is unmatched. According to the US Department of Energy (DOE), Hawaii is testing Azura, a 45-ton machine that can efficiently capture Hawaii’s unlimited supply of ocean waves.
Northwest Energy Innovations (NWEI) Azura
Azura is a prototype under development and is online at the US Navy’s Wave Energy Test Site (WETS) in Kaneohe Bay, producing 20 kW of energy which is supplied to Oahu’s municipal grid. Azura will be tested at this location through the middle of 2016.
Current tidal energy technology has been rapidly developing, and there is a huge growing global demand for technology that works. Azura was developed by Northwest Energy Innovations. Azura is unique in that its design allows the 45-ton machine to move as waves undulate, capturing complex motion in 360°.
Following is an animation that clearly shows how NWEI’s Azura converts wave energy to power. According to the video, the new device extracts energy from both the heave and surge motions of the waves. The waves force the hull of the machine to rotate, driving a generator.
The following video shows the Azura Wave Energy prototype being deployed.
