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Video interview of Tom Perronnet on MOBILIS' Euronaval booth

TYVA Energie has participated to the 2022 edition of Euronaval at Paris Le Bourget. During the exhibition, we have interviewed Tom Perronnet, Embedded System Integrator from the French company MOBILIS who was also exhibiting on the fair.

Learn more about the collaboration between MOBILIS and TYVA Energie through this video interview about the conception of the DB24000 buoy, a smart buoy with a total weight of 10 tons powered by TYVA Energie’s lithium batteries.

Play Video about MOBILIS interview vidéo Euronaval bouée

Introduce yourself

I am Tom Perronnet, working as an Embedded Systems Engineer at MOBILIS for 4 years now. I deal with the embedded system and electronic part mainly regarding our data buoys ranges. These are our instrumented buoys integrating all the necessary sensors for their functioning as required by the specifications.

Learn more about MOBILIS’ gigantic buoys

Can you tell us more about MOBILIS?

MOBILIS has been a buoys manufacturer for more than 30 years now. We are originally specialised in marine beaconing, and it’s been 15 years now since we opened a branch for data buoys, thus electronic instrumented buoys.

MOBILIS is a French company, are buoys manufactured in France?

Yes, it is a French company founded by François Juniet more than 30 years ago. We are located in Aix-en-Provence and our production and shipping part is located in Agen.

Once we have created every casings and electronic devices, we go to Agen where we have the material and mechanical buoy. This is when we put together every equipment inside the buoy in Agen. Once everything is ready and the customer has validated every specification’s aspects, we put it all inside a container to ship it to the installation site. Generally, at that time we go there as well and we deal with the deployment, verification and customer’s training.

We design every buoy at Aix-en-Provence where we assemble and test every device as well as on our floating platform off Marseille coast at Planier. We test all of our equipment on this buoy.

Tom Perronnet
Embedded Electronic Integrator at MOBILIS

What can you tell us about the DB24000 buoy's challenges?

DB24000 is our latest challenge. At MOBILIS we don’t have any standard product, we create platforms and buoys according to the customer’s specifications. We constantly adapt to answer technical specifications and the requirements of our clients. DB24000 represented a major issue since we needed to have a much bigger buoy to store more energy. It means we need to produce this energy, what we do with solar power mainly but also wind force and fuel cells. This energy needs to be stored as well.

What kind of batteries were you using before lithium batteries?

Historically at MOBILIS we use lead batteries which are definitely batteries with a pretty important capacity. But they have limits, mainly regarding their congestion and weight which are significant issues for a floating environment. Moreover, the lead batteries’ problem is that it doesn’t allow an important discharge rate. We can use it in its “comfort zone” where everything run smoothly but it gets complicated if we go to low.

Why did you choose to collaborate with TYVA Energie?

We already collaborated with TYVA Energie in the past. This buoy has been the consecration of a partnership we established through the years. Regarding this project, TYVA Energie has introduced us a product which was truly designed and meant for the marine environment. It was all at once integrated, sea environment resilient and easy to use.

What are TYVA Energie's main advantages against lead batteries' problems?

TYVA Energie was allowing to address these problems since lithium technology is much lighter and less heavy than lead batteries. Moreover, it allows a discharge rate much significant than lead batteries.

What benefits have you noticed from this collaboration?

As part of the DB24000 buoy development, it represented advantages regarding mechanics because products are lighter whether in terms of dimension and weight, but also regarding electrics and electronics. It gave us the possibility to store much more energy capacity inside our buoys while reducing their weight and congestion.

Does your range include several buoys fitted with TYVA Energie's lithium batteries?

Indeed, DB24000 is our biggest buoy part of our data buoys’ range. We have smaller buoys; we have integrated TYVA Energie’s batteries inside a DB8000 buoy as well. We also have fitted these batteries regarding a project with Ifremer institution called BFI (elastic beacon), which are pylons rising above water with a small crow’s nest on top.

The reduced batteries’ congestion and weight for energy intensive devices suggested by TYVA Energie’s systems is what designated them to suit perfectly with this kind of application.

Tom Perronnet
Embedded Electronic Integrator at MOBILIS

Are there any other current projects for MOBILIS?

At MOBILIS we are constantly creating prototypes, we don’t have any standard products. Indeed, we currently made a huge step regarding our operational and energetic capacity with the DB24000 buoy and its lithium batteries. We continuously have projects and bid solicitations everywhere so I think the partnership with TYVA Energie is just beginning.

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