The evolution of the offshore industry driven by the energy transition presents a unique opportunity to embrace novel and innovative power generation, energy storage and energy management technologies. There are a wide variety of applications for a combination of these technologies within the wider so-called ‘Blue Economy’.

To explore the integration of power generation, energy storage and energy management with an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), a multi-partner sea trial is being conducted which will be the first time ever that an integrated battery storage and wave energy system such as this will deliver energy to a subsea payload. The trial will take place at the US Navy Wave Energy Test Site off the Hawaiian island of Oahu in Q1 2022.

Verlume’s Halo seafloor battery and intelligent energy management system will be integrated with the AOPS, providing the seafloor base unit and the payload interfaces for power, data and communications. The Halo system will ensure continuous energy availability for remote subsea operations.

Verlume is also involved in a collaborative project developed by partners in the UKCS to combine a wave energy converter and subsea battery storage system, to deliver low carbon power and communication with subsea infrastructure such as subsea production control systems and residential ROVs and AUVs. Reliable local renewable power generation enables more environmentally and economically viable operations, for example in marginal fields.