Wave Energy Converter for Off Shore Aquaculture

Offshore aquaculture (fish farming) is poised to grow within the United States Economic Exclusion Zone. Currently, these systems get their power from diesel generators, which are detrimental to the ocean environment due to their emissions, noise pollution, and risk of fuel spills. Aquaculture stakeholders are looking to leverage ocean renewable energy to offset fossil fuels and increase sustainability. Triton is addressing this problem by developing a Wave Energy Converter (WEC) to provide some or all of the power that is necessary for operation of offshore aquaculture sites. Building upon previous research, Triton will design a WEC using requirements and feedback from aquaculture end users. This floating WEC with interface directly with aquaculture components in a non-invasive manner.In Phase I, Triton will demonstrate the feasibility of using a wave energy converter to provide significant power for offshore aquaculture systems. This will be accomplished by conducting research/outreach to determine relevant power levels, deployment locations, and system interfaces. Using these requirements, Triton will develop a conceptual design and conduct scaled wave tank testing to quantify interactions between a WEC and aquaculture subsystems. This work supports further development and open water testing opportunities in Phase II.In addition to providing renewable energy to offshore aquaculture systems, variations of the proposed WEC can also be used to provide power for other Blue Economy uses, including ocean observing buoys, LiDAR buoys, navigation buoys, UUV recharging, and other marine applications.