Credit picture: Carla Artero
This week, a team of researchers from BRNO University of Technology, led by Professor Zdeněk Hadaš, visited the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) to collaborate with the SARTI research group at the Escola Politècnica Superior d’Enginyeria de Vilanova i la Geltrú. The purpose of the visit was to conduct experimental tests on an innovative micro-energy harvesting system designed for oceanographic drifting buoys, also known as drifters, as part of the WECDA (Wave Energy Converter for Drifter Applications) project, granted within the EMSO Physical Access Programme.
Professor Hadaš and his team specialize in the development of energy harvesting technologies for various types of ambient sources. In this case, they have successfully developed a device capable of efficiently capturing the low-frequency motion of drifting buoys—a particularly challenging task due to the irregular and slow nature of such movements.
Thanks to the expertise of the SARTI group in oceanographic instrumentation and the controlled, monitored conditions of the OBSEA underwater observatory, the joint team was able to validate the device’s performance. Tests demonstrated that the system is capable of harvesting enough energy to extend the buoy’s operational autonomy, even under relatively calm sea conditions – highlighting its potential scalability to more energetic and demanding environments.
Drifting buoys are deployed in open sea conditions and left to drift for several months, collecting valuable data from the ocean surface and transmitting it via satellite. These in-situ measurements are essential for calibrating satellite-based remote sensing data and improving the accuracy of meteorological and oceanographic models. Enhancing their autonomy through energy harvesting technologies can significantly increase the longevity and efficiency of these platforms, contributing to long-term ocean monitoring and environmental preservation.
This initiative has been funded through EMSO ERIC (European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and Water Column Observatory), of which OBSEA is a participating facility. The objective of the EMSO Physical Access Call is to provide researchers with access to EMSO nodes, enabling the installation and testing of user devices, sensors, instruments, new technologies, and experimental procedures.
Following the promising results of this first campaign, a second round of extended-duration tests is planned for September 2025, aiming to further validate the system’s performance in real oceanic conditions over longer deployment periods.
Photos of Miroslav Kvassay