Under a ¥70 million ($900,000) contract, OPT will tailor the design of its buoy-shaped wave energy converter to conditions at several potential sites, teaming up with Mitsui engineers to improve power capture by using advanced optimisation methodologies as well as modelling and wave tank testing.

Joint analysis and design work is expected to be wrapped up by next April, after which a decision will be made on the next steps toward ocean trials of a demonstration PowerBuoy system as the basis for a commercial-scale OPT wave-power station in Japan.

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