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Texas General Land Office Grants First-Ever State Off-Shore Lease to Renew Blue Inc. (RBI) to Produce Fresh Water Using Ocean's Water and Energy

Posted on: Thursday, 8 October 2009, 11:37 CDT

HOUSTON, Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Ocean waves off the coast of Texas may soon provide the first commercial wave power in the U.S. to generate electricity and desalinate water. The Texas General Land Office has granted the first-ever state off-shore wave energy lease to Texas-based Renew Blue Inc. (RBI). The company will use ocean water and waves to produce desalinated water; the first 100 percent fossil-fuel-free bottled water. RBI, a wholly owned subsidiary of Minneapolis-based Independent Natural Resources Inc. (INRITM), is the first licensing entity of SEADOG® Pump, a technology that harnesses the power of ocean waves to generate electricity. RBI will bottle and distribute the freshly desalinated water under the brand Renew Blue(TM). This will be a small demonstration of what SEADOG Pump technology can do in providing electricity and clean water to regions all over the world that lack fresh water and energy but have an abundance of ocean waves along their coastline.

"Texas is proud to be the initial site of this wave-powered energy innovation," said Rene Truan, Deputy Commissioner for the Professional Services at the Texas General Land Office. "Renewable energy production on the Texas coast means renewable revenue for the school children of Texas. The SEADOG Pump is another great example of the exciting opportunities that exist and that the Texas General Land Office is working hard to take advantage of."

RBI will place an off-shore modular platform about one mile off the coast of Freeport, Texas, in roughly 25 feet of water. The SEADOG Pump separates itself from other technologies on the market by using a simple pump design with few moving parts and no electronics. RBI expects the platform to be installed in the fourth quarter of 2009 or the first quarter of 2010. The platform is currently being manufactured outside of Houston.

RBI will desalinate 3,000 gallons of water per day and will store up to 30,000 gallons in a sealed, stainless steel tank before being transported to the bottling plant. While traditional desalination typically requires significant amounts of electricity, the SEADOG Pump platform system is powered solely by the wave energy it harnesses. Considering that 40 to 50 percent of operating costs in the desalination process is attributed to electric usage, the SEADOG Pump system provides significant cost savings and minimal environmental impact compared to the large-scale use of power generated by fossil fuels. Further environmental benefits accrue from the superior manner in which brine water is disbursed.

"For the past seven years the SEADOG has been fine-tuned to produce this major accomplishment as the first commercial wave power generation in the U.S.," said Mark A. Thomas, CEO, INRI. "We are thrilled to showcase the SEADOG to the world as an innovative yet simple technology illustrating the ability to extract wave energy at low cost, with high levels of efficiency resulting in immeasurable benefit to humankind."

SEADOG Difference

Generally speaking, wave energy is captured by engineered devices or components attached to stationary or floating structures that are set in motion by waves or swells on the surface of the ocean. Most wave energy technologies grow in cost because the equipment is sensitive to corrosive seawater and has intermittency issues similar to wind and solar energy. SEADOG Pump, on the other hand, separates itself from other technologies on the market by using a simple pump design with few moving parts and no electronics. Multiple pumps are deployed in fields depending on how much power or water is desired. In appropriate geographic locations, SEADOG Pump can move large volumes of water to shore where it can be stored until needed for energy production. This ability to store energy removes the intermittency issues associated with other renewable energy technologies. Preliminary estimates based on results from the sea trial suggest that a one-square-mile field of SEADOG Pumps could generate anywhere from 30 megawatts to more than 1,500 megawatts of electricity on average. The amount of electricity generated is dependent on how small or large the waves are in any given area of the world.

About Renew Blue Inc.

Renew Blue Inc. (RBI), a Texas Corporation, was formed in 2008 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Minneapolis-based Independent Natural Resources Inc. (INRITM). RBI is the first licensing entity of the INRI SEADOG® Pump, a technology that captures energy from ocean waves. RBI will bottle and distribute the Renew Blue(TM) brand of water, the world's first 100 percent fossil-fuel-free, desalinated drinking water produced by harnessing the power of ocean waves. For more information please visit www.renewblue.com.

About Independent Natural Resources Inc.

Based in Eden Prairie, Minn., Independent Natural Resources Inc. (INRITM) is an energy technology company that develops innovative products used to generate power from renewable sources in a clean, environmentally friendly manner. The company currently holds the rights to a patented product that can recover power from the excess pressure released by natural gas pipeline systems and the SEADOG® Pump system, a patented technology product that captures energy from ocean waves. To learn more, visit the company's Web site at www.inri.us.

SOURCE Independent Natural Resources Inc.

Source: PR Newswire

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