The upcoming field test of C-Power’s industry-leading SeaRAY autonomous offshore power system (AOPS) at the PacWave South wave energy test site off the Oregon coast will include co-demonstration of an uncrewed surface vessel (USV) from Open Ocean Robotics, the companies announced today. 

During the 18-month deployment, C-Power plans to demonstrate the breadth and depth of SeaRAY’s capabilities simultaneously supporting surface and subsurface mobile and static assets in the ocean with power and data communications. Open Ocean Robotics, which specializes in the collection of ocean data using self-righting, solar-powered USVs, will test an innovative “data mule” concept in which it deploys a USV to retrieve data from remote seafloor sensors powered by the SeaRAY AOPS. 

Open Ocean Robotics is a member of C-Power’s Partner Engagement and Co-development (PEC) Program. The companies seek to use the Oregon co-demonstration as a pilot project to advance a vision in which a C-Power AOPS serves as a central node of power and data for a swarm of Open Ocean Robotics USVs muling data from remote sensors to the AOPS to be uploaded to the cloud.  

“C-Power and Open Ocean Robotics share the belief that the future of the ocean economy is resident, digital, and autonomous,” said C-Power CEO Reenst Lesemann. “Working together, our USV and AOPS technologies have a pivotal role in enabling this digital and autonomous ocean economy. Our partnership demonstrates our shared commitment to delivering innovative power and data solutions wherever they’re needed offshore.” 

“This collaboration showcases how our complementary technologies can extend persistent maritime operations and unlock new capabilities for observing and understanding the ocean environment through resident robotics,” said Open Ocean Robotics Director of Sales Andy Ziegwied. “By combining SeaRAY’s reliable power and data connectivity with our energy-efficient data muling approach, we can dramatically increase the endurance and geographic scope of critical ocean monitoring missions.” 

Ziegwied added, “Permitting and regulatory stakeholders are concerned with the potential environmental effects of introducing novel devices into marine ecosystems, requiring comprehensive monitoring data to inform decisions. Our partnership with C-Power will enable sustained data collection, providing vital insights to evaluate any impacts on the local marine environment.” 

The Oregon co-demonstration is being conducted in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to advance the next generation of SeaRAY AOPS, expanding its use cases and proving long-duration survivability and reliability in one of the world’s harshest ocean environments. The next-gen system has been developed under a $6 million program co-sponsored by the DOE, C-Power, and several PEC program participants. 

A C-Power AOPS is a fully integrated system providing in-situ power, energy storage, and real-time data and communications support for offshore applications, including data-gathering equipment, robotic systems such as autonomous underwater vehicles, operating equipment, and uncrewed surface vessels. The SeaRAY AOPS at PacWave South will showcase significant advancements over prior generations, including deep-water mooring capabilities, satellite communications, higher generating capacity, increased transportability, improved maintenance and operations, and more efficient manufacturing. 

About Open Ocean Robotics
Open Ocean Robotics is a leading provider of autonomous marine robotic systems for collecting ocean data. Based in Victoria, Canada, the company develops and manufactures the solar-powered DataXplorerÔ uncrewed surface vessel (USV), capable of conducting long-duration maritime data collection missions, and XplorerView™, a cloud-based data management and USV control system. Open Ocean Robotics’ patented technology enables their USVs to harvest renewable solar energy for essentially indefinite endurance at sea. The company’s autonomous robotics solutions are used by government, academic, and industry clients around the world for applications such as environmental monitoring, offshore asset inspection, and marine research. With a focus on innovation and sustainability, Open Ocean Robotics is paving the way for a new era of autonomous ocean data collection. Follow Open Ocean Robotics on LinkedIn.

About C-Power
C-Power™ is an ocean power company, tapping the world’s largest battery — our oceans — to supply cost-effective, dependable, and predictable energy generation systems for our customers. Our mission is to deliver ocean energy into the global energy mix to unleash innovation and decarbonization in the $1.5 trillion ocean economy and beyond. From kilowatt- to megawatt-scale products, our systems reduce the dependency on liquid fuels for offshore energy needs and deliver clean energy onshore. We enable our customers and partners to reduce the cost, complexity, and carbon-intensity of their energy budgets and unlock innovative capabilities not possible today. Connect with C-Power on LinkedIn. 

Press Contacts 

C-POWER
Reenst Lesemann
CEO, C-Power
rlesemann@cpower.co
+1-434-409-9125 

OPEN OCEAN ROBOTICS
Andy Ziegwied
Director of Sales, Open Ocean Robotics
andy@openoceanrobotics.com
+1-250-580-2628