BioPower Systems Collaborates With City of San Francisco on Wave Energy Project

Friday, Oct 23, 2009

SYDNEY, Oct. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Australia's ocean energy company, BioPower Systems, today announced that it had entered into a collaborative agreement with the City of San Francisco to investigate the generation of wave energy from the Pacific Ocean.

Under the agreement, BioPower will work with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) to assess the feasibility of a project located eight kilometres (five miles) off San Francisco's western beaches with a generating capacity of between 10MW and 100MW. The proposed Oceanside Wave Energy Project would consider installation of a wave farm using BioPower's modular wave energy system, bioWAVET.

John Doyle, Acting Manager of Infrastructure at the SFPUC, said that the project has the potential to add yet another source of renewable energy to the City's power network. "The feasibility of ocean waves as an energy source is being considered and this could lead to further project development."

Pending the results of a feasibility study, BioPower and the City of San Francisco will work together to develop the project aimed at supplying clean renewable electricity into the City's power grid by 2012.

The bioWAVET system is designed to supply utility-scale grid-connected renewable energy while being out of view, and without affecting marine life. The unique system sways in tune with the forces of the ocean, and naturally streamlines when extreme conditions prevail, leading to cost-competitive lightweight designs. Multiple bioWAVET devices, each with a capacity of 1MW, would be installed as an undersea wave energy farm, with the combined power output supplied to the on-land grid via subsea cable.

BioPower's CEO, Dr Tim Finnigan, said the collaboration was further endorsement of the clear potential of the company's proprietary technology.

"Due in large part to Mayor Gavin Newsom's leadership, San Francisco is set to become the model for renewable-powered cities of the future. It comprises an environmentally aware populace that is supportive of renewable energy alternatives as long as they prove to be cost effective, reliable, and non-intrusive.

"We have already assessed the potential for economic energy production using bioWAVET at the proposed project site, and the results are very promising. We are confident that our collaboration with the City of San Francisco will translate into substantial economic and environmental benefits," Dr Finnigan added.

About The City and County of San Francisco

San Francisco was incorporated as a City on April 15th, 1850 by act of the Legislature. Although City Government has played a key role in San Francisco's development, the true wealth of this City resides with the creative and entrepreneurial spirit of its pioneering Citizens. The City today is governed by the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is a public agency of the City and County of San Francisco that provides water, sewage, and power services to 1.6 million customers within three San Francisco Bay Area counties.

About BioPower Systems

Australia's ocean energy company, BioPower Systems, is commercialising wave and tidal energy systems that incorporate revolutionary designs based on the concept of biomimicry. BioPower is designing its systems to naturally avoid extreme ocean forces, using light-weight construction, resulting in anticipated cost savings. The proprietary bioWAVETM and bioSTREAMTM technologies are designed to have a combination of lighter, more resilient structures to deliver both lower capital costs and lower energy generation costs.

Source: PR Newswire