Published: July 29, 2010
Ocean Power Technologies Wins £1.5 Million Award in UK To Spur Development of Higher Output PowerBuoy
PENNINGTON, N.J. - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:OPTT)(AIM:OPT) ("OPT" or the
"Company" ) announces that its subsidiary, Ocean Power Technologies, Ltd,
based in Warwick, England has been awarded a £1.5 million
(approximately $2.3 million) grant from the South West of England
Regional Development Agency ("SWRDA" ) for the development of its next
generation 500kW PowerBuoy wave power system.
The award will further strengthen OPT's long-term involvement with
Britain's southwest region, where it became the first company to commit
to participate in Wave Hub, the £42 million wave energy farm for which
the infrastructure is now under construction by SWRDA at Hayle,
Cornwall, England.
With the new award, OPT will lead a project to accelerate the
development of the technology for a larger version of its utility-scale
PowerBuoy for expected deployment at the Wave Hub, sponsored by
SWRDA. The anticipated collaboration among OPT, A&P Falmouth and the
Peninsula Research Institute for Marine Renewable Energy, which is a
collaboration between the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth (all based
in the South West of England) will contribute to the scale-up of OPT's
existing 150kW to 500kW PowerBuoy, as well as provide innovations to
improve reliability and increase performance of the PowerBuoy.
Among the objectives of the project are prototype design enhancements
for the PB500, with an expected output to power approximately 300
homes. Working with its partners, OPT will address additional areas of
the PowerBuoy technology development program such as Design for
Manufacture, materials research and site identification procedures. Upon
completion of the project, OPT expects to bring key benefits to system
delivery and market service capabilities as well as industry building
and job creation in the South West of England.
Angus Norman, Chief Executive Ocean Power Technologies, Ltd., said:
"This award is a mark of the commitment and strong relationships among
OPT, its partners and SWRDA to establish the South West of England as
one of the world's leading centers for marine energy with the Wave Hub
as its focal point. It will enable OPT to accelerate the development of
its next generation PowerBuoy, which we believe will be competitive in
large production volumes with fossil fuel-based energy. It also will
help to boost Britain's renewable sector in the long term."
This is the second award to OPT in connection with its PB500. In April
2010, OPT was awarded $1.5 million from the US Department of Energy
towards the development of OPT's next generation PowerBuoy wave power
system.
About Ocean Power Technologies
Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:OPTT)(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.
More information can be found at www.oceanpowertechnologies.com.

Ocean Power Technologies, Inc.
Charles F. Dunleavy, Chief
Executive Officer
or
Brian M. Posner, Chief Financial Officer
Telephone:
+1 609 730 0400
or
Nomura Code Securities Limited
Juliet
Thompson, Richard Potts
Telephone: +44 20 7776 1200
or
Media
Contact:
Corfin Public Relations
Neil Thapar, Claire
Norbury
Telephone: +44 20 7596 2860
Copyright © 2012, Business Wire, Inc., All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2012, NewsBlaze,
Daily News