Tagged: Wave Energy

Oregon adopted new zoning rules for its territorial sea yesterday. The rules set aside about 2 percent of the Oregon coast for wave and offshore wind energy. Amelia Templeton from our EarthFix team reports the decision was not welcomed by some Dungeness crab fisherman.

Residents along the Oregon Coast are big supporters of wave energy, according to survey results released today. Developers have identified Oregon as one of the best places in the United States to install wave energy buoys.

The survey asked coastal 400 residents, from Tillamook to Brookings, what they thought of building new infrastructure in the ocean to capture energy from waves. 78 percent said they supported more development. Support dropped to 61 percent when people were asked about development in their communities.

Oregon will soon be home to the first large-scale wave research site in the United States. A $4 million grant from the Department of Energy is helping fund the facility.

The project will be connected to the electrical grid on-shore so that researchers can test how much power the buoys convert into electricity. Belinda Batten is with Oregon State University and will direct the facility. She says the project will help developers make wave energy more commercially available with large-scale technology.