Wave Energy

“Wave” hello to the prospect of harnessing the ocean’s potential for the generation of electricity. Oregon State University has identified the coastal areas off Reedsport/Gardiner as a prime demonstration site for research and development of ocean wave energy. Research conducted by OSU and the Electric Power Research Institute has shown that the Oregon coastline presents some of the richest ocean wave energy potentials in the nation.

OSU has developed three prototype buoys designed to be anchored 1-2 miles offhore, in typical depths of greater than 100 feet, where they will experience gradual, repetitive ocean swells. One model uses the wave motion to cause electrical coils to move through a magnetic field, inducing voltages and generating electricity. Other “rack and pinion” and “piston” styles are being studied as well.

For more information on the Oregon State University project, click here.

Wave Power Development Update

Construction has begun off Oregon's coast on a commercial U.S. wave energy farm, which is being developed by Ocean Power Technologies and is planned to supply power to about 400 homes, according to national media reports.

The system will be installed off the Oregon coast near Reedsport, and it will represent the first phase of an expected 10-PowerBuoy Reedsport wave power station with a generating capacity of about 1.5 MW. The development would be the first commercial-scale wave power farm in the United States.

The first buoy will measure 150 feet tall by 40 feet wide, weigh 200 tons and cost $4 million, according to Phil Pellegrino, spokesman for New Jersey-based developer Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. OPT has chosen Oregon Iron Works to construct its first commercial wave energy PowerBuoy system in North America.

Nine additional PowerBuoys will be constructed and installed under the second phase of the project. The additional buoys are scheduled to be deployed by 2012 at a total cost of about $60 million.

Ocean Power Technologies recently received an A$66.5 million (US$61 million) grant from the Australian government to build a 19-MW wave power project off the coast of Victoria, Australia.

Ocean Power Technologies plans to complete its first PB150 wave energy device in the UK for deployment in Scotland in mid 2010.

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February 3rd - We have a planned outage to do line repair in the Hwy 26 area by Elderberry Inn. It includes Bear Rd, Elsie Deer Lane, and Loyd Lane. 9 -3
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