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Unmanned Autonomous Boats Look To Sail Into Energy Sector

Unmanned Autonomous Boats Look To Sail Into Energy Sector

A San Diego-based company that makes small wind- and solar-powered unmanned, underwater and surface vessels decked with sensors is looking to enter the oil and gas scene, having recently landed millions of dollars in funding from Energy Innovation Capital (EIC) and Lockheed Martin Ventures.

The move comes amid growing interest for unmanned autonomous technology in the energy sector as renewables gain attention from some of the world’s biggest energy players.

Ocean Aero’s signature autonomous vehicle is the Submaran S10, which features a retractable wing sail for submerging and solar rechargeable lithium batteries. The vehicle, weighing about 280 pounds and spanning just over 4 m (13 ft) in length, can dive up to 200 m and capture via sensors wave, weather and seismic data among other information, detect hydrocarbons and communicate with other devices, according to the company’s website.

But there’s more than being able to collect data, including from equipment housed on the seafloor, according to Ocean Aero CEO Eric Patten.

“I’m a former Navy guy and when you got to put people in the water it’s dangerous,” Patten told Hart Energy. “We want to basically complement the current technologies so that we can add value but also increase safety and lower the hazards to humans.”

The less than 6-year-old company, which makes the boats not the sensors, hopes to gain knowledge from the energy sector to better respond to its needs—something attainable through its partnership with EIC, according to Patten. The group of investors said it has led investment programs at General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE ), ConocoPhillips Co. (NYSE: COP ), Energy Technology Ventures and Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX ). EIC recently added managing partner Kevin Skillern to Ocean Aero’s board of directors.

“The energy industry constantly looks for new technologies that can increase operational efficiency, reduce risk, and increase sustainability,” Skillern said […]

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