Columbia Power has received a patent from New Zealand for it’s generator air-gap control system. This is the first of the Company’s pending national patents to issue for its innovative air-gap control technology. The system allows a smaller air-gap between a large-diameter-
generator’s rotor and stator, improving performance and availability without a corresponding increase in weight and cost.
The design is being validated in a US Department of Energy-sponsored land-based test. The pre-assembly of a 6.6m diameter generator is currently underway in Ridgefield, WA. Once the pre-fit work is finished and approval to proceed has been received, the system will be tested at the National Wind Technology Center near Denver, Colorado, USA.
Columbia Power’s StingRAY wave power technology, which has received eleven patents, employs two large-diameter, direct-drive permanent magnet generators and will be tested at the US Navy’s Wave Energy Test Site following the power take-off testing.