Nine Cal Poly engineering students are deploying an ocean-powered generator in Morro Bay.
The Expeditionary Ocean Power Generator is made of aluminum and weighs about 30 pounds.
“Definitely takes two people to carry it safely,” said Otto Van Willigen, Cal Poly mechanical engineering student.
The students have been collaborating with the Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center to design, build, test and field the device.
“We’re basically asking to create a device that could use the ocean’s potential energy to create electricity and power for them since they use mostly hefty diesel generators,” said David Nyberg, Cal Poly mechanical engineering student.
The buoy sits on top of the water.
“As waves come by, it oscillates up and down. In our design, that turns the generator on the inside,” Nyberg explained.
“Our ideal power generation is about 10 watts,” said Hunter Herring-Alderete, Cal Poly electrical engineering student.
“It could be powering like radio batteries, for example, some low-powered electronics for the end user,” said Judy Santa Cruz, U.S. Navy Technical Program Manager for the Marine Energy Development Program.
Devices like these could help the U.S. Navy with its operations.
“They are trying to support their warfighters in recon scenarios if they need to charge batteries in the field,” Herring-Alderete said.
While out on the water near the mouth of Morro Bay, data will be collected on the power that is generated.
“The device is going to be experiencing sea-state conditions and we want to correlate during those conditions how much power can be generated,” Santa Cruz said.
