This agreement is the Company’s first project in Japan and is in line with OPT’s global strategy to form alliances with strategic partners in key markets. OPT now has a range of power generation projects globally, including those in Oregon and Hawaii, USA; Scotland and Southwest England; Spain; Australia; and Japan.
Subject to the successful identification of a project site and completion of economic assessments, the parties plan to enter into an agreement to build a demonstration plant with up to three of the Company’s PowerBuoys®. The trial plant would provide the basis for the expected building of a commercial-scale OPT wave power station with an initial capacity of 10MW or more. Total output from the wave power station would be sold to electric utilities, and at 10MW, could provide power for up to 3,000 households in Japan.
Under the anticipated agreement to build the demonstration plant, OPT will sell the equipment for the power station to the Consortium. For subsequent wave power stations, the Consortium will provide manufacturing and maintenance of the power stations and on-going plant operations, while OPT will provide its PowerBuoy technology under license and also sell certain subsystems of the plant to the Consortium.
Idemitsu Kosan is a leading Japanese energy company; Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding is a major industrial business focused on machinery and shipbuilding; and Japan Wind Development primarily develops and operates wind power stations.
Commenting on the agreement, OPT’s Executive Chairman, Dr. George W. Taylor, said, “We are delighted to be working with three of Japan’s leading companies in forging a new way forward for wave energy in Japan. As one of the world’s largest economies, with a dense urban population and a coastline almost as long as Canada, Japan plays a significant regional role in promoting technical innovation and clean energy. We look forward to working with this group to make an important contribution to achieving Japan’s targeted reductions in carbon emissions.”
Japan’s recently elected Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama, has pledged to target a 25 percent cut in green-house gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2020. The government also plans to introduce a “feed in” tariff, or other financial reward, for renewable energy production as part of its intentions to boost renewable energy sources to about 10 percent of primary energy supply by 2020.
Mr. Akira Kurosaki, of the Business Development and Innovation Headquarters of Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding, said, “OPT’s in-ocean experience and technical strength make it a strong partner. Wave power is a very concentrated and predictable source of renewable energy that has great potential for Japan. We believe that OPT’s PowerBuoy technology will be an important part of our common vision of reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels.”
Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain "forward-looking statements" that are within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements reflect the Company’s current expectations about its future plans and performance, including statements concerning the impact of marketing strategies, new product introductions and innovation, deliveries of product, sales, earnings and margins. These forward-looking statements rely on a number of assumptions and estimates which could be inaccurate and which are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could vary materially from those anticipated or expressed in any forward-looking statement made by the Company. Please refer to the Company’s most recent Form 10-K for a further discussion of these risks and uncertainties. The Company disclaims any obligation or intent to update the forward-looking statements in order to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.
Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: OPTT and London Stock Exchange AIM: OPT) is a pioneer in wave-energy technology that harnesses ocean wave resources to generate reliable, clean and environmentally-beneficial electricity. OPT has a strong track record in the advancement of wave energy and participates in a $150 billion annual power generation equipment market. The Company’s proprietary PowerBuoy® system is based on modular, ocean-going buoys that capture and convert predictable wave energy into low-cost, clean electricity. The Company is widely recognized as a leading developer of on-grid and autonomous wave-energy generation systems, benefiting from over a decade of in-ocean experience. OPT’s technology and systems are insured by Lloyds Underwriters of London. OPT is headquartered in Pennington, New Jersey with offices in Warwick, UK.
The principal business of Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding (“MES”) is machinery and shipbuilding. With annual revenues in excess of $6.5 Billion, MES’ activities include manufacturing and sales of various types of industrial machinery, such as engines, boilers, gas turbines and robotic systems, and plant construction for water and waste treatment facilities, bridges, and watergates. Its shipbuilding business comprises a broad array of natural resource carriers and hull tankers. MES is a publicly-held company with over 10,000 employees.
Idemitsu Kosan Co. is a diversified energy business. The focus of its business development is energy, food and the environment. In addition to its activities in the petroleum products sector, Idemitsu has extensive interests in basic chemicals, plastics, other natural resources, geothermal energy, electronic materials, agri-business and engineering. The company has over 7,800 employees and annual revenues in excess of $38.0 Billion, and is publicly-held.
Japan Wind Development Co. focuses on the wind power generation-related business, with two business segments. The Wind Power Generation Station Development segment is engaged in the development and operation of wind power stations, as well as the agent sale of wind power generators and accumulators. The Wind Power Generation segment is engaged in the sale of electric power in Japan and overseas markets. The Company is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, with annual sales over $70.0 million.
Making Waves in Power
Every continent on the planet is surrounded by a cleaner, safer, more efficient answer to our energy needs. The power in ocean waves. Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) is a leading renewable energy company specializing in cost-effective, advanced, and environmentally sound offshore wave power technology. The electrical power generated by OPT’s technology is key to meeting the energy needs of utilities, independent power producers and the public sector.
OPT’s PowerBuoy® system extracts the natural energy in ocean waves, and is based on the integration of patented technologies in hydrodynamics, electronics, energy conversion and computer control systems. The PowerBuoy is a “smart” system capable of responding to differing wave conditions.
The result is a leading edge, ocean-tested, proprietary system which generates reliable, clean, and environmentally-beneficial electricity.
Making Waves in Power
Clear Vision
OPT was formed by Dr. George W. Taylor and the late Dr. Joseph R. Burns in pursuit of their vision of harnessing the boundless energy of the world’s oceans. Starting in 1994 OPT has focused on its proprietary PowerBuoy® technology, capturing wave energy using large floating buoys anchored to the sea bed and converting the energy into electricity using innovative power take-off systems.
Tested at Sea
Commencing in 1997, ocean trials have been conducted off the coast of New Jersey to demonstrate the concept of using a floating buoy to capture wave energy and convert it into electricity. The technology is on a growth curve towards full-scale commercial application, recent examples of which are the 40 kW-rated PowerBuoys installed in Hawaii and New Jersey.
Funded for Success
Ocean Power Technologies Inc. was floated on the London Stock Exchange’s AIM market in October 2003 following a successful IPO, and is traded on the AIM market under the symbol “OPT”.
The Company completed its US IPO and listing on Nasdaq in April 2007, and is traded on Nasdaq under the symbol “OPTT”.
Ready for Market
OPT has begun the initial phase of installation of a 1.39 MW wave farm off the northern coast of Spain. The project is a joint venture with the Spanish utility Iberdrola SA. A full size demonstration plant of up to 5MW capacity is planned for installation in UK waters.
The rising and falling of the waves off shore causes the buoy to move freely up and down. The resultant mechanical stroking is converted via a sophisticated power take-off to drive an electrical generator. The generated power is transmitted ashore via an underwater power cable.
A 10-Megawatt OPT power station would occupy only approximately 30 acres
(0.125 square kilometers) of ocean space.
Sensors on the PowerBuoy® continuously monitor the performance of the various subsystems and surrounding ocean environment. Data is transmitted to shore in real time. In the event of very large oncoming waves, the system automatically locks-up and ceases power production. When the wave heights return to normal, the system unlocks and recommences energy conversion and transmission of the electrical power ashore.
• Buoys are spaced to maximize energy capture.
• Rugged, simple steel construction.
• Utilizes conventional mooring systems.
• Simple installation using existing marine vessels and infrastructure.
• Scalable to large power stations (100+ MW)
A full two-thirds of the world’s population – 4 billion people – live within 400 kilometers (240 miles) of a seacoast. Just over half the world’s population – around 3.2 billion people – occupy a coastal strip 200 kilometers wide, representing only 10% of the earth’s land surface. Over half of the population of the United States lives within 50 miles of the coast. By the year 2025, nearly 75% of Americans are expected to live in coastal counties.
This concentration of people leads to an increased coastal intensity in energy demands, food and fresh water requirements, and transportation needs which creates a unique opportunity for wave energy. Wave energy can be co-located near coastal regions without significantly impacting living space and with minimal impact on the near shore ecosystem.
OPT has two product types to serve these energy needs. Our utility PowerBuoy systems have higher power ratings and are designed to operate connected to a utility grid. The Autonomous PowerBuoy (APB) line of products is designed to operate independent of a connection to a utility grid. An APB is usually rated at 10 kiloWatts (kW) or less. Our utility scale PowerBuoys are rated at 150 kW or greater and may be combined up to 100’s of MW to meet power demands using OPT’s wave park infrastructure. If your power requirements are not met by these two product lines, OPT may be able to modify one of our larger utility PowerBuoys to operate in an autonomous mode.
Benefits
• Wave energy is the most concentrated form of renewable energy.
• There are many ideal locations in Europe, North and South America, Africa, South Pacific Ocean and Asia where high power densities exist close to highly populated areas.
• Wave power is predictable and dependable, with the ability to accurately forecast the wave power spectrum days in advance.
• OPT’s PowerBuoy® offers high load factors and availability.
• Environmentally benign and non-polluting: no fuel, no exhaust gases, no noise.
Minimal visual impact.
• Scalable up to large power stations.
www.oceanpowertechnologies.com/
