Applying results of the NZ testing and the wave tank testing, NWEI designed a second generation prototype (TRL 5/6) with a modified float and power conversion system. In 2012, the Azura prototype was fabricated and deployed at the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center (NNMREC) ocean test site. The  prototype was deployed for a period of 6 weeks and was evaluated in conditions with a significant wave height of up to 3.75-meter and a period of 12 to 14-seconds. NNMREC’s instrumentation buoy, the Ocean Sentinel, served as the load bank and collected and recorded all power and wave data.

This ocean testing marked the first successful deployment of a large scale wave energy device in Oregon, and the Azura was the first device to be deployed at NNMREC’s ocean test site.  More than 30 million pieces of data were collected which are being analyzed as part of our technology advancement activities.