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Cost Competitive Wave Energy Without Moving Parts

Award Information
Agency: Department of Commerce
Branch: N/A
Contract: WC133R10CN0220
Agency Tracking Number: 10-51
Amount: $94,950.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: 8.1.5
Solicitation Number: NOAA 2010-1
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 1
Award Year: 2010
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
2150 South 1300 East Suite 500
SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84106
United States
DUNS: 828133939
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Balakrishnan Nair
 President
 (801) 897-1221
 bnair@hifundallc.com
Business Contact
 Rahul Shendure
Title: Vice President
Phone: (206) 999-5373
Email: rshendure@hifundallc.com
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

Conventional approaches to ocean energy are unlikely to make a material impact on global energy supply. HiFunda LLC and its affiliate Oscilla Power, Inc. are developing a utility-scale wave energy harvester enabled by low cost, domestically-and readily-available magnetostrictive alloys that requires no moving parts. This device has the potential to deliver baseload power to coastal utilities, industrial users, and remote facilities at costs competitive with coal or gas. Early prototypes could enable low cost battery charging for remote buoys. This project will demonstrate that the combination of (1) existing material compositions, (2) compressive stress biasing and (3) permanent magnet biasing are sufficient to deliver the required magnetic flux performance. In combination with privately funded demonstration of a wave tank prototype and building upon prior testing demonstrating the magnetic induction potential of these alloys under representative loads, this project will demonstrate substantial technology risk reduction on the path to commercialization.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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