Ocean Amps

Marine and Hydrokinetic Renewable Energy Bill Introduced in Senate

2011-03-18T13:52:00.000-07:00

On March 17th, Senators Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich of Alaska introduced the "Hydrokinetic Renewable Energy Promotion Act of 2011” (S. 630), which would authorize the Department of Energy (DOE) to expand its research and development on marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy. The bill calls for the creation of three testing facilities to be developed by states, universities, or non-profit entities to test marine hydrokinetic technology, and would establish a Federal Marine-Based Energy Device Verification program to certify the performance of new marine technologies. The bill would also authorize the Federal government to set up an adaptive management program and a fund to help pay for the regulatory permitting and development of new marine technologies.

Oregon at the Epicenter of Wave Energy Research and Development

2011-03-11T10:20:00.000-08:00

Oregon is rapidly developing a reputation as a leader in wave energy research and development. Resources in the state include the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Lab on the Oregon State University campus, the Oregon Wave Energy Trust, a state-funded group that's nurturing the wave energy sector and the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center, a joint program between OSU and Washington State University, including the Hinsdale lab.

Read more.

San Onofre Ocean Energy Project

2011-02-14T16:30:00.000-08:00

JD Products is seeking public comments on their proposal to install a renewable ocean energy project off San Onofre State Park. The project would utilize Ocean Wave Electricity Generation (OWEG) units to convert the energy from ocean waves into electrical power. The proposed project area location is approximately 8 square nautical miles and indicated by the box shown in the map.

The Surfrider Foundation is a formal stakeholder in the permitting process representing recreational users, and is compiling comments and questions to forward to JD Products and the Federal Energy and Regulatory Commission (FERC) by March 21, 2011. If you have input that you would like to contribute to this, please email these to pstauffer@surfrider.org by March 17.

You may also provide comments directly to JD Products and FERC by sending emails by March 21 to: chong.kim@jdproductsllc.com and Kenneth.Hogan@ferc.gov.

There will also be a public meeting on March 31st from 12-4pm at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point (24200 Dana Point Harbor). The meeting will provide additional information the project, as well as opportunities for public input to inform JP Products's development of a Pre-Application Document (PAD).

Finally, for more information on the project, please visit the FERC website and search for docket number P-13679.

Check out a recent article from the Dana Point Times

Another Type of Renewable Ocean Energy

2011-02-14T15:35:00.000-08:00

On February 10th, NOAA launched a website containing legal and licensing information for industries interested in developing Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) capability in the United States. The new website contains information on OTEC technology and potential environmental impacts and on NOAA’s licensing authority under the Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Act of 1980. It also contains information on workshops with federal, state, academic, non-government and private sector interests to explore the technological and environmental issues of commercial-scale OTEC systems.

DOE and DOI Unveil Offshore Wind Energy Strategic Plan

2011-02-11T13:32:00.000-08:00

On February 7th, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced a coordinated strategic plan for offshore wind energy production.

The joint plan, A National Offshore Wind Strategy: Creating an Offshore Wind Industry in the United States, is the first interagency plan on offshore wind energy. The plan focuses on overcoming three key challenges: the relatively high cost of offshore wind energy; technical challenges surrounding installation, operations, and grid interconnection; and the lack of site data and experience with project permitting processes.

In support of this Strategic Work Plan, Secretary Chu announced three solicitations, representing up to $50.5 million over 5 years, to develop breakthrough offshore wind energy technology and to reduce specific market barriers to its deployment.

Secretary Salazar also identified four Wind Energy Areas offshore the mid-Atlantic. The areas, on the Outer Continental Shelf offshore Delaware (122 square nautical miles), Maryland (207), New Jersey (417), and Virginia (165), will receive early environmental reviews that will help to lessen the time required for review, leasing and approval of offshore wind turbine facilities.

For more information, including links to the complete National Offshore Wind Strategy and fact sheet, see the DOE/DOI press release.

Tidal Energy Project Moves Forward in New York

2011-01-07T12:53:00.000-08:00

Verdant Power has filed an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to install up to 30 tidal power turbines in the East Channel of New York's East River for a pilot project. Company officials say the turbines would transmit energy onto the national grid. Verdant hopes to begin installing the turbines by this fall.

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Assessing the Environmental Effects of Tidal Turbines

2010-12-15T11:17:00.000-08:00

A demonstration project planned for Puget Sound will be the first tidal energy project on the west coast of the United States, and the first array of large-scale turbines to feed power from ocean tides into an electrical grid.

University of Washington researchers are devising ways to site the tidal turbines and measure their environmental effects. Brian Polagye, UW research assistant professor of mechanical engineering, will present recent findings this week in an invited talk at the American Geophysical Union's annual meeting in San Francisco.

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Largest U.S. Wind Turbine Project Proposed Off Rhode Island Coast

2010-12-10T13:47:00.000-08:00

Deepwater Wind has submitted an application to the Department of the Interior for a 200-turbine, 1,000-megawatt offshore wind energy project with a goal of starting construction in 2014. The project is estimated to cost between $4 and $5 billion and would include an undersea transmission network to send power to Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

More info.

Tidal Energy in WA, ME, AK

2010-12-06T14:50:00.000-08:00

For eons, powerful tides have raged through Puget Sound, ripping along at 11 feet per second at their peak, predictable as the phases of the moon. Three years from now, a local utility hopes to begin converting a portion of that raw energy to electricity, part of a growing effort to harness the tides to power homes and businesses miles from the smell of salt air.

The Snohomish County Public Utility District's pilot project is small - two turbines with 500 kilowatts of total capacity and an average output of 50 kilowatts - hardly a panacea for all that ails the United States' energy portfolio. But tidal power is garnering increasing attention as a niche supplier of renewable alternative energy in Washington, Maine and Alaska. The tides, some say, have the potential to light five percent of the nation's homes - nearly nine gigawatts of generating power.

More info.

Atlantic Wind Connection

2010-11-03T09:41:00.000-07:00

On October 11th, Google signed an agreement to invest in the development of a backbone transmission project off the Mid-Atlantic coast that offers a solid financial return while helping to accelerate offshore wind development—so it’s both good business and good for the environment. The new project can enable the creation of thousands of jobs, improve consumer access to clean energy sources and increase the reliability of the Mid-Atlantic region's existing power grid.

When built out, the Atlantic Wind Connection (AWC) backbone will stretch 350 miles off the coast from New Jersey to Virginia and will be able to connect 6,000MW of offshore wind turbines. That’s equivalent to 60% of the wind energy that was installed in the entire country last year and enough to serve approximately 1.9 million households.Atlantic Wind Connection.

Read more...

PG&E Suspends Humboldt WaveConnect Project

2010-10-30T09:27:00.001-07:00

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced it will be suspending permitting efforts on the Humboldt WaveConnect Project. The decision was made after several major challenges made the project unviable at its proposed configuration and location. In 2007, PG&E began examining the feasibility of using the power of ocean waves to create clean, renewable electricity to meet the state’s goals for energy. The Humboldt site was selected for a pilot project that would allow for the testing of several types of hydrokinetic technologies. Over time, however, significant permitting challenges emerged and costs of the project were higher than projected. Members of the Humboldt Chapter of Surfrider Foundation participated extensively in the stakeholder working group process to identify and minimize potential impacts to existing uses and the natural environment. The Chapter had supported the draft license application submitted by PG&E to the Federal Energy & Regulatory Commission (FERC).

Tidal Energy Advances in New York

2010-10-08T17:06:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago we reported on a tidal energy project in Maine.

MSNBC now has a video feature on Verdant Power's tidal energy project in New York's East River.

Watch the video report.

Renewable Ocean Energy & the Marine Environment Conference

2010-10-07T11:53:00.000-07:00

On November 3-5, the Renewable Ocean Energy & the Marine Environment Conference will be held in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. This conference will bring together researchers, developers, federal and state agencies, industry, and scientists to explore cutting-edge science and technology to identify gaps in the current knowledge of the environmental impacts of renewable ocean energy.

Cape Wind Project Moves Forward

2010-10-06T20:38:00.000-07:00

The Department of Interior and Cape Wind Associates have signed the nation’s first lease for commercial wind energy development on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The area offered in the lease is comprised of 25 square miles in Nantucket Sound offshore Massachusetts. The 130 planned wind turbines are expected to produce enough energy to power more than 200,000 homes in Massachusetts. The site of the project on Horseshoe Shoals lies outside shipping channels, ferry routes and flight paths but is adjacent to power-consuming coastal communities. The Cape Wind energy project would be the first wind farm in U.S. waters, potentially generating enough power to meet 75 percent of the electricity demand for Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Island combined. The 28-year lease for the area off the coast of Cape Cod, Mass. will cost the company $88,278 in annual rent prior to production, and a 2 to 7 percent operating fee during production. “This is the beginning of a new era for our Nation in offshore energy production,” Secretary Salazar said in a speech to the American Wind Energy Association in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where he signed the lease. “Responsibly developing this clean, renewable, domestic resource will stimulate investment in cutting-edge technology, create good, solid jobs for American workers, and promote our nation’s competitiveness, security, and prosperity.”

Marine and Hydrokinetic Renewable Energy Act Introduced in House

2010-10-04T07:40:00.000-07:00

On September 29th, Representatives Jay Inslee (D-WA) and Brian Baird (D-WA) introduced the “Marine and Hydrokinetic Renewable Energy Promotion Act” (H.R. 6344), which would establish a series of competitive demonstration grants to support the research, demonstration, and commercial application of marine hydrokinetic renewable energy technologies, and identify ways to address potential environmental impacts. The bill would also expand an existing Department of Energy program to create test facilities that will demonstrate a variety of technologies at a range of scales to evaluate the viability of each technology.

Wave-energy project advances in Hawaii

2010-09-29T09:53:00.000-07:00

A buoy off the Windward Oahu coast that generates electricity using sea motion has been connected to the island's electrical grid, according to the company overseeing the project. New Jersey-based Ocean Power Technologies Inc. said it was the first-ever grid connection of a wave energy device in the United States. The buoy was deployed in December in about 100 feet of water about three-quarters of a mile off of Marine Corps Base Hawaii in conjunction with the Navy.

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More Details

FERC cancels permits in San Luis Obispo & Mendocino

2010-09-27T17:20:00.000-07:00

On September 23, the Federal Energy & Regulatory Commission (FERC) canceled preliminary permits for wave energy projects off San Luis Obispo, CA and Mendocino, CA. Back in May of 2009, FERC had issued the permits to Green Wave Energy Solutions to study the feasibility of wave energy development in each of these areas. However, the applicant had failed to comply with several timeline requirements, including the filing of progress reports and preliminary application documents (PAD). In addition, stakeholder groups had expressed concern about the lack of community outreach by Green Wave during project planning. Among these were the San Luis Bay Chapter and Mendocino Chapter of Surfrider Foundation, both of which filed motions to intervene at the outset of the permitting process. For more information, please visit www.ferc.gov and search under ‘Hydropower’ for P-13053 and P-13053.

Largest Offshore Wind Farm Opens Off English Coast

2010-09-24T12:48:00.000-07:00

Swedish energy giant Vattenfall said the 100 turbines are expected to generate enough electricity to power 200,000 homes.

The 380ft (115m) tall turbines are spread over an area of more than 35 sq km and are visible from the shore on a clear day.

More info

West Coast Wave Energy Framework Open for Public Comment

2010-09-17T12:58:00.000-07:00

Pacific Energy Ventures, under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is collaborating with stakeholders to develop a Planning & Assessment Framework that outlines environmental information relevant to developing and permitting wave energy projects offshore California, Oregon, and Washington. The project is now focused on collecting stakeholder input on options to address key data gaps. A survey designed to present the draft options and collect stakeholder input is available now through October 7, 2010. Once stakeholder input is collected, the project team will summarize the feedback in a final report to be shared with the DOE and all interested parties.

Click on this link to participate in the survey.

Tidal Energy Plant Officially Unveiled in Maine

2010-08-30T10:39:00.000-07:00

Ocean Renewable Power Company recently installed a small tidal power generator in Cobscook Bay, Maine, which they say is the largest tidal power plant ever installed in U.S. waters. A generator uses the power from turbines hanging from a barge to charge large battery packs, which are ferried daily by skiff to the Coast Guard station in Eastport. The battery packs provide almost 20 kilowatt-hours of power daily, about half of the energy needs of the 41-foot search and rescue boat docked there.

Admittedly, it is a small amount of power; it would take 25 such turbines to equal the rated capacity of just one of the wind turbines recently installed on the nearby island of Vinalhaven. The project cost $4 million, including more than a million dollars of federal and state support. Ocean Renewable Power Company is using the data it is gathering to fine-tune a larger installation in Cobscook Bay, planned for 2011. That system, according to the company, should generate enough electricity to power 50 or 60 homes.

More info

Surfrider Foundation Signs Historic Settlement Agreement on Reedsport, Oregon Wave Energy Project

2010-08-02T13:23:00.000-07:00

The Surfrider Foundation today joined over a dozen government agencies, ocean stakeholder groups, and environmental organizations in signing a historic settlement agreement with Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) in support of the construction and operation of the Reedsport OPT Wave Park.

The Reedsport OPT Wave Park is expected to be the first commercial-scale wave energy project in the United States, pending licensing from the Federal Energy and Regulatory Commission (FERC). Phases I and II of the project will consist of ten PowerBuoys installed 2.5 miles off the coast of Reedsport, OR.

The parties to the settlement agreement participated in a three-year process to develop consensus on aspects of project design, required monitoring, and contingencies for adaptive management. The Surfrider Foundation has served as a formal representative of recreational and environmental interests throughout the process.

“We believe this represents a really good approach for the development of wave energy technology,” said Pete Stauffer, Surfrider Foundation’s Ocean Ecosystem Program Manager. “Incorporating good science and meaningful stakeholder involvement in the planning and management of wave energy projects is in the best interests of nearshore ecosystems and coastal communities.”

The Reedsport settlement agreement defines a precautionary approach to development of the Wave Park that is intended to minimize impacts to the nearshore environment and existing ocean uses such as recreation and fishing. An adaptive management program that includes monitoring of ecological and socioeconomic effects will inform the management and further build-out of the project.

The Surfrider Foundation recognizes that technologies utilizing ocean waves, tides, currents and wind may offer important benefits as renewable sources of energy that will reduce emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. They may also help to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and the dangerous practice of offshore oil drilling.

The Surfrider Foundation has developed a policy statement on renewable ocean energy, which includes a set of principles to consider during the planning or evaluation of any proposed project. Employing these principles may help reduce impacts to ocean recreation, nearshore ecology, coastal processes, public safety, aesthetics, and fishing access.

Hydrokinetic Recreation Guide - Review and Comment

2010-06-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

The Department of Energy, National Park Service, and Hydropower Reform Coalition invite you to review Hydrokinetic Energy Projects & Recreation: A Guide to Assessing Impacts, a report about evaluating impacts of new hydropower technologies (i.e. tidal, in-river current, and wave) on recreation. They are soliciting comments from many stakeholders, including recreation users, developers, and regulators. Comments should focus on substantive issues and other suggestions that will improve the usefulness of the Guide.

Comments should be submitted to comments@hydroreform.org by August 31, 2010.

More information and links to the draft document sections can be found here.

Solana Beach Firm Developing Wave Generator for University

2010-06-11T16:52:00.000-07:00

American Wave Machines Inc. in Solana Beach, California is developing a wave generator for the Ocean Energy Research Lab at the University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB) for the ultimate purpose of making ocean waves a renewable energy source.

Unlike wave generators for the amusement industry, The wave generator for the university will be the central component of a large wave tank system. It will be capable of generating waves with controllable wave heights and frequencies in a tank measuring fifteen meters long, one meter wide, and one meter deep. Upon completion, the wave tank will become a primary facility for ocean energy research at UTB.

Researchers at the university said that, although ocean waves hold enormous energy, that energy is under-utilized because there’s no reliable and cost-effective way of harnessing it. The Ocean Energy Research Lab is currently pursuing a novel technology to enable a corrosion-free, maintenance-free and hurricane-proof wave energy converter. The AWM wave generator will be used to simulate a typical ocean environment in the lab for testing bench-scale prototype wave energy converters.

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Salazar Signs Agreement with 10 East Coast Governors to Establish Atlantic Offshore Wind Energy Consortium

2010-06-10T11:40:00.000-07:00

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and the governors of 10 East Coast states signed a Memorandum of Understanding on June 8 that formally establishes an Atlantic Offshore Wind Energy Consortium to promote the efficient, orderly, and responsible development of wind resources on the Outer Continental Shelf.

Salazar announced the agreement at Capitol Hill Oceans Week 2010, where he also announced the establishment of a new regional renewable energy office to coordinate and appropriately expedite the development of wind, solar and other renewable energy resources on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf.

Several wind energy projects for the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf have been proposed for East Coast states, positioning the region to tap into the enormous potential of wind power in the U.S. Developing this resource could create thousands of manufacturing, construction and operations jobs and displace older, inefficient fossil-fueled generating plants, helping significantly to combat climate change.

“Renewable energy resources hold great economic promise,” Salazar said. “By one estimate, if our nation fully pursues its potential for wind energy on land and offshore, wind can generate as much as 20 percent of our electricity by 2030 and create a quarter-million jobs in the process.”

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Interest in Wave Energy Increasing

2010-06-01T17:00:00.000-07:00

Although we're still years away from getting a significant amount of clean, renewable energy from waves, a recent article Wave Power Could Reduce Dependency on Oil that appeared in U.S. News and World report is an indication that there is increasing interest in wave and tidal energy.

Specifics and success stories are still hard to find. The article mentions several competing technologies and projects in Europe, including the Pelamis project in Portugal that was apparently abandoned in 2009, Aquamarine Power's Oyster, which is currently being tested in the waters off Scotland, and Checkmate Seaenergy's Anaconda, which has yet to be tested in the real world.

Commercialization may be closer in the U.S. In California, PG & E is planning to test up to four different technologies with its Wave Connect project in Humboldt County and is evaluating the potential for tidal energy in San Francisco Bay.

But Reedsport, Oregon may be the site of of the first commercial wave energy project on the West Coast. Surfrider Foundation is an active stakeholder in this project, which would be developed by Ocean Power Technologies.

Wave and Tidal Energy Project Review Process in California

2010-05-19T13:46:00.000-07:00

The California Natural Resources Agency, the California Environmental Protection Agency, and the California Public Utilities Commission have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to coordinate their review of hydrokinetic (wave and tidal) energy projects in California state waters. The MOU ensures that FERC and California will confer early and often to identify potential issues and to set a schedule to process permit applications. The MOU can be found online at: www.opc.ca.gov/category/news/. The FERC press release can be found online at www.ferc.gov/news/newsreleases.asp

Under the MOU, officials at FERC and in California agree to the following with respect to hydrokinetic energy projects:

They will notify each other when one becomes aware of a potential applicant for a preliminary permit, pilot project license or license

They will encourage applicants to seek pilot project licenses prior to a full commercial license to allow adequate testing of untested devices or device operations before commercial deployment

They will coordinate the environmental reviews of any proposed projects in California state waters. FERC and California also will consult with stakeholders, including project developers, on the design of studies and environmental matters and

If California prepares siting guidelines or a comprehensive plan for the siting of hydrokinetic projects, FERC will take this plan into consideration when issuing a license for any hydrokinetic project.

For more information about the OPC, please visit:

http://www.opc.ca.gov/

Setback for Wave Energy in Australia

2010-05-18T10:04:00.000-07:00

A wave energy generator which was launched off the New South Wales south coast of Australia in March, has sunk in rough seas. The 170-ton structure had been providing electricity to the grid from 150 meters offshore at Port Kembla. It broke free from its pylons last Friday afternoon and sank on Saturday. Early efforts to tow the barge to safety were abandoned due to the rough conditions. Attempts to retrieve the barge will be made this week. The generator's Sydney-based developer, Oceanlinx is investigating what happened.

US Approves First Offshore Wind Farm

2010-04-28T15:24:00.000-07:00

The first US offshore wind farm project won government approval Wednesday.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar gave the green light for the giant Cape Wind project in the channel between Cape Cod and the resort islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket off the coast of Massachusetts.

"In the wake of the offshore oil drilling disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, it is more clear than ever that we need to move quickly to develop safe, responsible clean energy projects like Cape Wind instead of more offshore drilling," said Michael Brune, the Sierra Club's executive director.

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SB SURFRIDER TO HOST PRESENTATION AND PUBLIC DISCUSSION WITH PG&E "WaveConnect" REPRESENTATIVES THURSDAY

2010-04-14T14:31:00.000-07:00

WAVE ENERGY PROJECT OFF THE SANTA BARBARA COAST?

In the search for "cleaner and greener" energy; ocean waves, tides, currents and wind may offer important benefits as renewable sources of energy that will reduce emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. These alternative energy sources may also provide economic development through a cutting-edge industry for coastal communities. At the same time, there are many questions and concerns about ocean energy, including potential impacts to ocean recreation, nearshore ecology, coastal processes, public safety, aesthetics, and fishing access.

Please join SB Surfrider for an interesting and informative presentation on ocean wave energy. Patricia Wilmore of Pacific Gas & Electric will make a presentation on their proposal to test ocean wave energy devices off northern Santa Barbara County's coast. Hope to see you there!

When: Thursday, April 15, 7:00 pm
Where: Watershed Resource Center, Arroyo Burro Beach, 2981 Cliff Drive, Santa Barbara
Who: SB Surfrider
What: Patricia Wilmore of PG&E will speak on PG&E's WaveConnect Project, a proposal to harvest ocean wave energy for electricity off the northern Santa Barbara County coast near Vandenberg AFB.

For more information on ocean wave energy:
http://www.pge.com/waveconnect/
http://www.surfrider.org/policy_ocean_alt_energy.asp

Oregon's Big Buoy

2010-04-09T10:58:00.000-07:00

A wave energy project off Reedsport, Oregon is slated to be the first such commercial scale project in the U.S. Surfrider Foundation has been participating as a formal stakeholder in the settlement process on behalf of recreation and conservation interests.

Two and a half years after a wave energy test buoy sank off Newport, the drive to harness energy from the ocean is heating up again with plans for at least one buoy to be deployed off Oregon's central coast before the year's end.

And there are hopes for a handful more not long after.

It's all part of Oregon's race to become a leader in wave energy technology, a competition that only three years ago threatened to deteriorate into a bitter battle pitting east coast developers against fishermen, surfers and others.

Many of them feared the buoys could harm fishing, recreation and tourism. But today, some say the situation exemplifies the spirit of collaboration and cooperation.

"Oregon has a lot to be proud of and a lot of people have shown a lot of leadership," Onno Husing, executive director of Oregon Coastal Zone Management Association. "We are literally helping to figure this out for the nation."

If that happens -- if Oregon wins the wave energy race and does it well -- proponents say it could someday mean $1 billion plus annually to the state,

Read More

Offshore Wind, Marine Spatial Planning and Aquaculture

2010-04-07T15:17:00.000-07:00

Offshore alternative energy projects (wind, waves, tide) are just one type of potential use of finite marine resource areas off our coasts. These projects potentially conflict with a long list of historical and potential future uses, including fishing, shipping, oil and gas production, recreation, and aquaculture. Recognition of these sometimes competing uses has given rise to Marine Spatial Planning, which is aimed at conducting a logical planning process, involving multiple stakeholders to avoid having our seas become the next "wild west."

In an effort to explore some of these issues, a symposium The Ecology of Marine Wind Farms: Perspectives on Impact Mitigation, Siting, and Future Uses was held in November 2009 in Maine. Abstracts and presentations from the symposium can be downloaded from the website.

Oregon Territorial Sea Planning

2010-03-30T12:25:00.001-07:00

The State of Oregon is currently developing a Comprehensive Plan for the siting of renewable ocean energy projects in its Territorial Sea. As a formal stakeholder in the process, the Surfrider Foundation is conducting an Oregon Non-consumptive Recreational Use Study in partnership with Ecotrust, Natural Equity, and several state agencies. The study will provide high-quality spatially explicit information that is needed to inform marine spatial planning efforts within Oregon's marine waters. Data collection will focus on non-consumptive recreational use and related trip expenditures along Oregon's coast and Territorial Sea (state waters; 3 nautical miles). Activities to be surveyed include: water sports (e.g. surfing, diving, kayaking) beach going, wildlife viewing, and boating (e.g. motoring, sailing). This project is intended to help the state minimize potential effects to ocean recreation in Oregon. For more information, please visit Surfrider's Oregon website and the state's Territorial Sea Planning website

Wave Energy Scales Up Off Scotland

2010-03-25T14:23:00.001-07:00

Leading edge: This buoyancy tube is the top edge of a 194-ton hinging device that converts wave energy into 315 kilowatts of electricity. Credit: Aquamarine Power

Scotland hopes to ride the next renewable energy wave. Site leases for several big wave and tidal power projects were awarded last week by the U.K. government, concluding a two-year bidding process that elicited strong interest from major utilities and energy entrepreneurs. The awards open the way for six wave energy projects and four tidal energy systems around Scotland's Orkney Islands that could collectively generate up to 1.2 gigawatts, exceeding the U.K.'s 700-megawatt target for the bidding round. This is an immense scale for an industry that so far has installed only pilot projects involving a handful of small devices.

Read more....

Comments Sought for Wave Energy Project in Oregon

2010-02-24T10:31:00.000-08:00

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking public comment on a request for a permit that would allow Ocean Power Technologies to install 10 buoys that would use wave action to produce electricity in the Pacific Ocean off Gardiner, Oregon . The company is looking to place the buoys in a 1,300-by-1,000-foot zone 2.5 miles west of the shore. The buoys, with a float ring diameter of 36, would be spaced 330 feet apart. A sub-sea transmission cable would transmit the electricity produced by the buoys to a Douglas Electric Cooperative transmission line on land. It would utilize an existing conduit, located about one-half mile from shore that formerly served as an effluent discharge pipe from the old International Paper plant at Gardiner.

Written comments should be sent to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Merina Christoffersen, 1600 Executive Parkway, Suite 210, Eugene, OR 97401-2156. Comments related to water quality issues should be mailed to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, 2020 S.W. Fourth Ave., Portland, OR 97201-4953, Attn: 401 Water Quality Certification Coordinator. They can also be sent by e-mail to 401publiccomments@deq.state.or.us.

Largest Ocean Energy Device in the US coming to Maine

2010-02-22T10:05:00.000-08:00

When it is placed in the water next month, Ocean Renewable Power Co.’s underwater Turbine Generator Unit (TGU), designed to harness tidal power in Cobscook Bay near Eastport, Maine, will have a capacity rating of 60 kilowatts, making it the largest ocean energy device deployed in U.S. waters. In less than a month, the TGU should be providing power to the U.S. Coast Guard station in Eastport. "Energy Tide 2" has the capacity to generate enough electricity to power 20 homes.

Although this is not much power, it is an important first step commercializing tidal power in the U.S. In a year or so from now, Ocean Renewable could have a 1-megawatt, stackable module of turbines off Eastport. Hooked to the Bangor Hydro-Electric grid, it could generate enough clean power at peak tidal flows to light more than 300 homes. That could lead to an expanded project with more modules and more output. If the technology can be refined to extract power from slower currents, and Ocean Renewable can win the needed regulatory permits, there may be enough good underwater sites around Eastport to install units with a total capacity of 100 megawatts.

Editorial Supports Humboldt Wave Energy Project

2010-02-08T11:04:00.000-08:00

On February 4 the Eureka, CA Times-Standard editorialized in favor of PG&E's proposed wave energy project by writing:

"...we encourage Pacific Gas and Electric Co.'s efforts to implement a cutting-edge wave energy project off our coast. As long as it remains understood that such efforts need much in the way of development, and that some serious due diligence needs to be undertaken so that such projects don't have traumatic impacts on our coast or our fishing industry, Humboldt County should be jumping up and down to attract such projects. "

PG&E wave project in Humboldt County, CA

2010-02-04T11:59:00.000-08:00

EUREKA -- The Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is weeks away from submitting an application to the federal government for a first-of-its kind project to test wave energy devices off the Humboldt County coast.
The pilot project could be a proving ground for the large-scale production of energy from waves, but a host of environmental and economic concerns will have to be addressed before that can happen. At a public meeting at the Veteran's Hall Tuesday night, a working group made up of representatives from PG&E, state and federal agencies, commercial and sport fishing interests, and surfing and environmental groups outlined the promise and potential effects of new technologies.

Read more...

The Humboldt Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation is actively participating in this planning process to ensure that is meets the standards established in our Alternative Ocean Energy policy

What industry are we propping up?

2010-02-02T06:42:00.000-08:00

Source: Environmental Law Institute

What energy future are we really supporting? The world's most profitable and polluting companies or a renewable energy future? Read more here and here.

Oregon State University deploys prototype wave buoy

2010-01-22T14:38:00.000-08:00

See a prototype of a wave energy buoy bob up and down on the water's surface as researchers from Oregon State University study its efficacy.

Read Smithsonian article about OSU electrical engineer & wave energy researcher Annette von Jouanne.

Decision on Cape Wind Soon?

2010-01-14T11:52:00.000-08:00

Cape Wind could be the largest wind energy project in the United States. The project has been in the news for almost a decade and has been intensely debated and fought not only along the shores of Cape Cod but also in the halls of Congress with vigorous opposition by the late Ted Kennedy as well as his nephew Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

It should noted that Massachusetts citizens overwhelmingly support the project. In a 2005 survey: 81% of adults supported the project, 61% of Cape Cod residents supported it, and only 14% of adults oppose it.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said he expects to make a decision about the project by April.

You can read more about the Environmental Impact Report here.

Reedsport, OR Settlement Process

2010-01-13T11:34:00.000-08:00

Surfrider Foundation continues to be involved in a settlement process with state and federal agencies, conservation groups, fishing groups, and Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) to agree on a precautionary approach to wave energy development off Reedsport, Oregon. Negotiations have developed a draft settlement agreement that includes an adaptive management strategy. This strategy includes study plans that OPT will conduct to identify any adverse effects from the first and second phases of the wave energy project. The company hopes to install one buoy next summer and nine additional buoys the following year. Monitoring of ecological and socioeconomic effects will help inform whether further build-out is warranted. Adaptive management ensures that parties reassess implementation of the project at each phase to avoid or minimize degradation to aquatic resources. Initial phases will include studies on aquatic species such as marine mammals, sharks, fish, plankton, and migratory birds. OPT will also study effects of wave energy buoys on recreation, public safety, crabbing, fishing, and cultural resources. Surfrider intends to remain engaged throughout the process to help ensure that adverse effects are addressed appropriately and efficiently.

First Offshore Wind Energy Facility in U.S.

2009-12-14T09:18:00.000-08:00

The company Deepwater Wind announced a deal last week to sell power from the first phase of a Rhode Island project that eventually could supply 15 percent of the state's electricity. Under a 20-year power purchase agreement, Deepwater Wind will sell electricity from up to 8 turbines producing 28 megawatts to National Grid Plc. Earlier this year Rhode Island set a target to obtain 20 percent of its electricity from renewable resources by 2015.

Currently there are no offshore wind projects operating off the United States.

The other contender to become the first U.S. offshore wind farm is Cape Wind, a 130-turbine, $1 billion wind farm planned off the coast of Massachusetts, that has been mired in protests by critics.

The first phase of Deepwater's project, called the Block Island Wind Farm, is expected to start operations in 2013. Its turbines are planned to go up 3 miles off the coast of Block Island in state-owned waters. The project includes plans to build a transmission line to Block Island, which currently relies mostly on diesel fuel. Any excess electricity generated by the project that the island does not use will be fed to the state's main grid.

Deepwater also plans to build a larger utility-scale offshore wind power project in federal waters. The company could build the larger project in 2014 or 2015 and could grow it to 500 MW. Together the projects would generate about 1.3 million megawatt hours of electricity annually, enough to meet 15 percent of the state's energy needs, and cost $1.5 billion.

Deepwater also plans to bid for a proposed utility-scale offshore wind project off New York in the first quarter of 2010.

More

Wave Energy Project Proposed for Central California

2009-12-11T14:00:00.000-08:00

Pacific Gas & Electric is preparing to seek approval to study a future wave energy project located off the California coast near Vandenberg Air Force Base.

The project, which could take years to become operational, would generate as much as 100 megawatts of power, providing permanent non-fossil-fueled electricity for the base in Santa Barbara County. PG&E is expected to seek the permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which has been designated as the umbrella agency for wave energy project approval in the nation.

PG&E is already studying a wave energy power station in Humboldt Bay in Northern California and has launched a Web site, http://www.next100.com/, to promote its initiatives.

More

Oregon Wave Power Project Advances

2009-12-09T15:25:00.000-08:00

Last Friday morning, New Jersey-based Ocean Power Technologies announced that it had contracted with Oregon Iron Works to start building what it hopes will become a 10-buoy test system in the waters off Reedsport, Ore.

The first buoy is expected to deploy in a year. Two years after that, nine more buoys should go into the water. The fully deployed, $60 million system is expected to have a capacity of 1.5 megawatts — about half that of a single giant wind turbine (though the waves should be able to provide power around the clock, unlike the intermittent wind). OPT hopes to develop a much larger wave farm nearby that could have as many as 200 buoys.

The project will sit 2.5 miles offshore and connect to a Bonneville Power Administration substation. The project was being paid for with a combination of funds from Ocean Power, as well as federal dollars, Oregon tax breaks and money from the electric company, PNGC Power, which has agreed to purchase the power for its customers in Douglass County, Ore.

Offshore Wind Energy in the NE

2009-10-29T09:55:00.000-07:00

Steve Lindenberg of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, has prepared a presentation titled Offshore Renewable Energy Future in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Region. Although the presentation focuses on offshore wind energy projects in the NE/Mid-Atlantic, it also covers the potential for both offshore wind projects and marine hydrokinetic (waves and tides) projects along entire U.S. coastline. Potential coastal zone impacts are also discussed.

New Type of Tidal Power Generator

2009-10-28T11:19:00.000-07:00

The Deep Green, a new type of tidal power generator developed by Swedish startup Minesto, uses hydrodynamics to harness tidal currents, reportedly making the flow velocity increase 10 times.

Sweden- and UK-based Minesto’s innovation Deep Green “underwater kites” originates from the wind department at Saab Group (the aircraft and military Saab, not the automaker), who started development in 2003. The concept was more suited for water currents than winds, and since the concept was then beyond the Saab Group’s core business, Minesto was formed in 2007.

Marine Spatial Planning for Renewable Energy off the West Coast

2009-10-09T14:30:00.001-07:00

On October 6 -7, 2009 Surfrider Foundation participated in a meeting on Marine Spatial Planning for Renewable Energy on the West Coast in Seattle, WA. The purpose of the meeting was to formally launch an eighteen month process to develop a 'Coastal Siting Report' for renewable ocean energy projects off the West Coast. The meeting was part of the West Coast Governors Agreement on Ocean Health, and was sponsored by the Nature Conservancy, the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Marine Minerals Services (MMS). Invited participants discussed a range of topics including regulatory frameworks, baseline data needs, and decision-support tools. Over the coming months, the process will provide an opportunity to help ensure that renewable ocean energy development minimizes impacts to the nearshore enviroment and existing uses like recreation and fishing. For more information, please visit the website of the West Coast Governors Agreement or contact Pete Stauffer pstauffer@surfrider.org.

Ocean Sciences Meeting, Portland, OR

2009-09-11T14:57:00.000-07:00

Ocean Sciences Meeting
February 22-26, 2010, Portland, Oregon

Renewable hydrokinetic energy development in coastal and estuarine environments

Session Description:
Many types of hydrokinetic renewable energy devices are under active development for marine and estuarine systems, typically designed to extract energy from waves, tides, currents, or thermal gradients. These novel technologies will require new emplacements and moorings in aquatic environments with attendant intrusions upon the environment, including acoustic signals, changes to mixing, and electromagnetic fields. Hydrokinetic energy sources are able to provide clean energy, but their effects on the physical and biological environment are not well understood. This session will examine the technologies under development and address the current state of our knowledge on how they will interact with estuarine and coastal, and offshore environments. Contributions are sought that deal with physical effects (current flow, energy reduction, mixing, sand transport) and biological effects (larval transport, entrainment, entanglement, behavior) on all trophic levels.

More info

Ocean Energy Conferences

2009-09-10T11:43:00.000-07:00

UMass-Dartmouth's Marine Renewable Energy Center (MREC) is hosting two important ocean energy conferences in September and October.

The first event, entitled 2nd Annual Ocean Energy for NE Conference will take place on Thursday September 17, 2009 in Hyannis, MA. The program is designed to bring together the policy, planning and public interest stakeholders to address issues about ocean energy prospects in NE waters. Speakers from the US Department of Energy, Minerals Management Service, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the MA Office of Coastal Zone Management, Conservation Law Foundation, Cape and Islands Renewable Energy Collaborative and many more will break up into facilitated panels to discuss how they view ocean energy development opportunities and concerns. The morning will be topped off with a delicious lunch and a wrap-up of next steps. Attendees from government, municipalities, the public at large, academia and industry are welcome to attend. A detailed agenda and registration information are available at www.mrec.umassd.edu.

The second event, 1st Annual MREC Technical Conference is a conference dedicated to marine renewable energy technologies. It will take place on Thursday October 15, 2009 at the Advanced Technology & Manufacturing Center (ATMC) in Fall River, Massachusetts. The purpose of this conference is to advance the science of ocean generation of electricity and to assist the industry in finding new technology for commercialization. The line up of technology based presentations will add to the technical literature available for ocean power generation. With sessions dedicated to ocean wave energy conversion devices, tidal in stream conversion devices and offshore wind generation systems and platform design the conference will provide a forum for researchers to present new technologies. There will also be a discussion of the methodology and results of site survey work. This work is crucial to pin pointing exact locations where there is a consistent power resource and for characterizing the seafloor for foundation and/or mooring installation. To submit an abstract and to register to attend please visit www.mrec.umassd.edu.

Sonoma Coast Hydrokinetic Energy Project | Public Meetings

2009-08-26T13:52:00.000-07:00

Sonoma Coast Hydrokinetic Energy Project

September 9 - Gualala Community Center
47950 Center St., Gualala

September 16 - Jenner Community Center
10398 Hwy 1, Jenner

Time: 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.

The Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA) will hold public meetings to discuss the Sonoma Coast Hydrokinetic Energy Project (SCHEP) and to receive public input.

On July 7, 2009, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved three Preliminary Permits that will allow SCWA to conduct feasibility studies for a hydrokinetic energy project at three locations off the Sonoma County Coast. At this meeting, SCWA will provide a formal presentation on preliminary project information, discuss timelines and receive public input.

Comments may be submitted thereafter to the Capital Projects Manager of Sonoma County Water Agency, PO Box 11628, Santa Rosa, CA 95406.
For more information about this meeting visit www.sonomacountywater.org, or contact Brad Sherwood, Public Information Officer, at 707.547.1927 or brad.sherwood@scwa.ca.gov or Amy Bolten, Public Information Officer, at 707-547-1981 or amy.bolten@scwa.ca.gov.

More info from the Sonoma County Water Agency can be found here

FERC Signs Tidal Power Agreement With Maine

2009-08-24T11:33:00.000-07:00

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) said on August 19 it had signed an agreement with the State of Maine to coordinate on the development of projects that generate power from tides, marking the first such agreement on the technology for the U.S. East Coast.

Previously FERC signed agreements on tidal power with the states of Oregon and Washington.

More

MMS, FERC Issue Guidance on Wave, Tide, and Current Projects

2009-08-07T10:51:00.000-07:00

On August 4, the Interior Department's Minerals Management Service (MMS) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) jointly released their MMS/FERC Guidance on Regulation of Hydrokinetic Energy Projects on the OCS. The new guidance document explains general requirements, lease and license procedures, lease and license terms, financial assurance requirements, fee structures, and other pertinent information for the development of the OCS. Regarding hydrokinetic energy projects in the OCS, MMS has authority over site leases and FERC has authority over operating licenses.

Offshore Renewable Energy Regulatory Primer

2009-08-04T11:08:00.000-07:00

The National Sea Grant Law Center has published Offshore Renewable Energy - Regulatory Primer (PDF, 590 KB), which presents basic regulatory information related to offshore wind, wave, tidal, and ocean thermal energy conversion projects. It also provides brief discussions on state authority, local concerns, and an emerging alternative management framework—marine spatial planning.

Ocean Current Energy in Florida

2009-07-31T09:58:00.000-07:00

Is the ocean Florida's untapped energy source?

The answer to easing the energy crunch in one of the nation's most populous states could lie underwater.

Imagine if your utility company could harness the ocean's current to power your house, cool your office, even charge your car. Researchers at Florida Atlantic University are in the early stages of turning that idea into reality in the powerful Gulf Stream off the state's eastern shore.

Saving $1.2 Trillion through Energy Efficiency

2009-07-30T11:25:00.001-07:00

Part of making a transition to alternative energy and getting off of carbon-emitting fossil fuels will be to become more efficient with our energy use.

A new report from the consulting firm McKinsey found that a upfront investment in energy efficiency through relatively simple efforts such as sealing leaky building ducts and replacing inefficient household appliances with new, energy-saving models could save up to $1.2 trillion dollars through 2020.

This investment in energy efficiency could cut the country’s projected energy use in 2020 by about 23 percent — a savings that would be “greater than the total of energy consumption of Canada,” said Ken Ostrowski, a senior partner in McKinsey’s Atlanta office, at a press event in Washington this morning.

Read more here...

Wave Energy Report - Regulatory Framework

2009-07-13T20:24:00.001-07:00

The Oregon Wave Energy Trust (OWET) has released a new report that summarizes the regulatory framework for State and Federal permitting of wave energy projects click here. The report is an informational tool for stakeholders involved with the regulatory process. It identifies the most relevant state and regulatory requirements, explains the authorization process, and identifies the lead and participating agencies for each authorization. Also, on Sept 15-16, OWET is hosting the 2009 Ocean Renewable Energy Conference in Seaside, OR. For more info and to register click here.

Planning for coastal wind farms in MA

2009-07-06T12:32:00.000-07:00

Click here for a larger version of the map.

You can't be interested in coastal wind energy in the US without knowing about the long, drawn out controversy surrounding the Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound off of Massachusetts.

To address issues surrounding competing uses and marine conservation, Massachusetts is leading the national in develop a plan to direct using of its coastal waters. The Massachusetts Ocean Plan is designed to balance commercial and recreational activities with conservation needs, including zones for the development of wind energy.

Read here to learn more about plan for wind energy in MA.

.: EfficienCity :.

2009-06-23T11:49:00.000-07:00

Greenpeace UK has put together a nice website to help envision an climate-friendly city.

EfficienCity is a virtual city but all towns and cities in the UK could be enjoying the same lower greenhouse gas emissions, cheaper bills and better energy security.

Visit the EfficienCity and check out the "South Zone". It has cool animations/explanations of wind, wave and tidal power as well as information resources.

Salazar Announces 5 Exploratory Leases for Offshore Wind Energy Development off Coasts of NJ & DE

2009-06-23T10:22:00.000-07:00

Contact: Frank Quimby (DOI), (202) 208-6416
Nicholas Pardi (MMS), (202) 208-7746

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - Calling it a major step forward in President Obama's new energy frontier, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, joined by New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine, today issued five exploratory leases for renewable wind energy production on the Outer Continental Shelf offshore New Jersey and Delaware.

"We are entering a new day for energy production in the United States - a time of clean energy from renewable domestic sources on our Outer Continental Shelf," Secretary Salazar said. "Other nations have been using offshore wind energy for more than a decade. We made the development of offshore wind energy a top priority for Interior. The technology is proven, effective and available and can create new jobs for Americans while reducing our expensive and dangerous dependence on foreign oil."

"This is tremendous news for New Jersey and I thank Secretary Salazar and the Obama Administration for issuing these leases which are so critical to getting the development of our offshore wind turbine projects underway," said Governor Jon S. Corzine. "New Jersey's Outer Continental Shelf is a resource that holds a great promise for our energy independence and should be considered a haven for the clean, renewable and environmentally friendly energy that wind power provides. This is a major step for the State in meeting its goal of 1000 megawatts by 2013 and 3000 megawatts by 2020."

"The development of clean energy will be a major part of our economic recovery and will help lay the foundation for long-term economic security for our families, our state and our nation," said U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ). "We should be proud that New Jersey has led the way in the effort to harness the tremendous potential that offshore wind in the Atlantic has to generate clean electricity. This lease is a step toward lowering energy costs for families, creating innovative 21st Century industry jobs and reducing our reliance on dirty energy."

Secretary Salazar issued the exploratory leases, the first of their kind ever issued by the Federal Government, to Bluewater Wind New Jersey Energy, LLC; Fishermen's Energy of New Jersey, LLC; Deepwater Wind, LLC; and Bluewater Wind Delaware, LLC. The leases were developed under an Interim Policy and authorize data gathering activities, allowing for the construction of meteorological towers on the Outer Continental Shelf from six to 18 miles offshore to collect site-specific data on wind speed, intensity, and direction.

The leases exemplify the renewable energy initiatives Secretary Salazar has made a top priority and worked to accelerate. Under his efforts, the final regulatory framework for Outer Continental Shelf renewable energy development was completed in the first 100 days of President Obama's administration. The comprehensive framework, which regularizes the process and brings certainty to this nascent industry in terms of how applications for OCS wind, solar and hydrokinetic resources would be addressed, had been long delayed in the previous administration. Interior negotiated a breakthrough agreement with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on April 9 that clarified the jurisdictional responsibilities for leasing and licensing renewable energy projects.

The President and the Secretary announced the final comprehensive framework on Earth Day, April 22, and it becomes effective on June 29. It provides the "rules of the road" for states and companies with renewable energy initiatives to pursue development of those projects on federal submerged lands as well as methods for sharing 27.5 percent of the revenues generated from these projects with adjacent coastal States. The Secretary then launched a series of 12 Minerals Management Service workshops nationwide to discuss and explain the new program for renewable energy on the Outer Continental Shelf.

The data collected under these leases will be shared with Interior's Minerals Management Service and used to inform and support future commercial renewable energy projects, such as wind turbine farms, to help coastal States meet mandated renewable energy portfolio standards.

New Jersey is actively pursing the development of offshore wind energy through various state initiatives (e.g., grant solicitations, reimbursement programs, and renewable energy portfolio standards). In October 2008, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities established a meteorological tower reimbursement program, which provides $4 million per company to help expedite the development of offshore wind.

In Delaware, Delmarva Power signed a power purchase agreement with Bluewater Wind for up to 200MW in June 2008, and the pact was ratified by the state in July 2008. Delaware's average offshore winds have the potential to produce 5,286 MW*, which would power between 1.2 to 1.5 million average homes.

The following companies are receiving the exploratory leases for meteorological towers:

New Jersey
15 - 18 miles
Wind
Bluewater Wind New Jersey Energy, LLC

New Jersey
6 - 9 miles
Wind
Fishermen's Energy of New Jersey, LLC

New Jersey
15 - 18 miles
Wind
Deepwater Wind, LLC

New Jersey
12 - 15 miles
Wind
Deepwater Wind, LLC

Delaware
14 miles
Wind
Bluewater Wind Delaware, LLC

For additional information on the limited leases and renewable energy, please visit:

http://www.mms.gov/offshore/renewableenergy/regulatoryinformation.htm

Oregon Well Situated For Ocean Energy

2009-06-17T11:27:00.000-07:00

There are a series of coincidences that make Oregon well-suited to take advantage of ocean power.

Advantage one: Oregon has a coastline. But unlike the states along the eastern seaboard, the waves that reach our coast are large and regular -- because they have thousands of miles to grow. Prevailing weather means that waves develop from west to east.

Advantage two: the state sits around the 45th parallel, where waves are apparently bigger, according to Bob Paasch the direct of the newly formed Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center.

Advantage three: in order to bring electricity ashore, you need industrial scale substations close to the ocean. Oregon has dozens of those in the form of shuttered old logging mills.
Read More

Wave Energy Projects that interest the Surfrider Foundation

2009-06-12T14:57:00.000-07:00

View Wave Energy Projects in a larger map

These are wave energy projects where the Surfrider Foundation is actively participating in project planning. This doesn't mean that we fully endorse the proposed project but we are following their progress and providing input.

Click on the symbol to see project name and FERC docket number. The FERC docket number can be used to find up to date information on the permit status for that project.

Click here to look up the docket number: http://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/docket_search.asp

Blue Energy: Plans to harness the ocean excite coastal power agencies

2009-06-08T15:18:00.000-07:00

The boundary of Pacific County’s public utility district touches a source of clean and inexhaustible energy — the ocean. And PUD manager Doug Miller says he thinks it’s “highly likely” that someday the utility will plug into it.“I’m excited,” he said. “It’s right here in our backyard.”

Spurred by a nationwide push to develop green energy, entrepreneurs and public utilities are scouting Washington’s coastline from the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the mouth of the Columbia River for places to generate electricity by channeling the sea through turbines.

Ocean energy advocates say the sea’s reliability and proximity to coastal population centers provide a big benefit for a country trying to wean itself from fossil fuels. The ocean energy industry, however, is in its infancy and faces technical and environmental problems.

Federal Cuts Proposed for Research & Development

2009-06-01T19:11:00.000-07:00

Washington D.C. - The Obama administration has proposed a 25 percent cut in the research and development budget for wave and tidal power. At the same time the White House sought an 82 percent increase in solar power research funding, a 36 percent increase in wind power funding and a 14 percent increase in geothermal funding. But it looked to cut wave and tidal research funding from $40 million to $30 million.The decision to cut funding came only weeks after the Interior Department suggested that wave power could emerge as the leading offshore energy source in the Northwest and at a time when efforts to develop tidal power in Puget Sound are attracting national and international attention. By some estimates, wave and tidal power could eventually meet 10 percent of the nation's electricity demand, about the same as hydropower currently delivers. To read the full article in the Tacoma News Tribune, please click here.

Senator Merkley holds Oregon Wave Energy Roundtable

2009-05-29T20:26:00.000-07:00

Newport, OR – Wave energy can help lead Oregon and America into the clean energy economy however the trade offs and unknowns of the environmental impacts, regulation and technology take a careful approach of adaptive management and stakeholder dialogue.

That was one of the conclusions reached at a roundtable conversation organized by Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley today at the Hatfield Marine Science Center. The discussion of how Oregon can help pioneer a clean energy economy was at the forefront of the roundatable discussion.

"Wave energy has serious potential to become a huge clean energy source for the Oregon coast and help boost the local economy," Merkley said. "But it has to be developed in partnership with local communities, and in a manner that is in harmony with the fishing industry, ocean users and coastal ecosystems."

Roundtable participants included:

Dr. George Boehlert, Professor of Marine Fisheries and Director of Hatfield Marine Science Center
Bob Eder, Vice-Chair of Newport’s Fishermen Involved in Natural Energy Committee (FINE) and fishing representative for Oregon Wave Energy Trust
Paul Klarin, Marine Affairs Coordinator, Oregon Department of Land Conservation & Development
Dr. Robert Paasch of Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center
Dr. Merrick Haller of Oregon State University's Wave Energy Engineering
Robin Hartmann of Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition
Nik Furman of the Dungeness Crab Commission Pat Ashby of Tillamook People's Utility District
Ken Rhinefrank of Columbia Power Technologies
Len Bergstein of Ocean Power Technologies
Charlie Plybon Oregon Field Coordinator for Surfrider Foundation.

Interest in Wave Energy Remains Strong in Northern California

2009-05-15T13:12:00.000-07:00

Just this morning I posted a story questioning whether the rush towards wave energy was waning.

Then I read this article from the Santa Rosa-based paper The Press Democrat that describes a flurry of wave energy activity off of Northern California

PG&E, the county Water Agency and Green Wave Energy Solutions of Thousand Oaks are backing seven of the nine California wave power projects that have permits approved or pending before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Read the full article here.

Is the wave energy "gold rush" over?

2009-05-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

As a result of numerous challenges ranging from the experimental nature of the technology, uncertainty about regulatory requirements and environmental consequences, and lack of available funding, wave energy developers have abandoned about 1/3 of the wave energy projects proposed along the West Coast.

Read more here.

Check out the Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) series on energy called The Switch.

PGE ends their Mendocino Project

2009-05-12T18:49:00.000-07:00

As recently reported in the Mendo Coast Current, PG&E has decided to pull their Wave Connect project that was being planned for Fort Bragg in Mendocino County.

According to Bill Toman, PG&E's Senior Program Manager for the Renewable Resource Department, the project was pulled because engineering studies of Fort Bragg's Noyo Harbor determined that the port was insufficiently designed to operate the project from.

Toman said that the PG&E would be pulling their FERC permit in the next few weeks and issuing a formal statement on the project shortly.

Read more...

Anaconda harnesses wave power

2009-05-06T15:48:00.000-07:00

A new wave energy device known as "Anaconda" is the latest idea to harness the power of the seas.

Its inventors claim the key to its success lies in its simplicity: Anaconda is little more than a length of rubber tubing filled with water.

Waves in the water create bulges along the tubing that travel along its length gathering energy.

At the end of the tube, the surge of energy drives a turbine and generates electricity.

Read more...

San Francisco Wave Energy Permit Dismissed

2009-05-05T06:29:00.000-07:00

Things in the wave energy world are changing quickly. It was just a few months ago (February 27, 2009) that San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsome announced they were submitting a preliminary permit for a wave energy project off the City of San Francisco.

A few weeks ago (April 9th) FERC & MMS announced a new agreement settling their jurisdictional dispute.

As a result the City's permit gets dismissed and now they'll have to seek a new one under the new system.

Thank you for your continued interest in San Francisco's efforts to betterunderstand the ocean power potential off our coast. FYI, FERC has dismissed the City & County of San Francisco's preliminary permit application to study a wave power project off the coast, on the grounds that the MOA between FERC and MMS prohibits FERC from issuing any permits for hydrokinetic projects in the Outer Continental Shelf.

The City remains committed to studying our ocean power potential, and is currently exploring our options.

Johanna

______________________________
Johanna Gregory Partin
Renewable Energy Program Manager
Department of the Environment
City and County of San Francisco
Phone: (415) 355-3715
Email: johanna.partin@sfgov.org

North American Wind Energy Projects

2009-04-30T17:42:00.000-07:00

View Offshore Wind in a larger map

Click here for more information on proposed wind energy projects

Wave Energy Background Information

2009-04-01T13:40:00.000-07:00

Background Information:

Surfrider Foundation Coastal A-Z Wave Energy overview

CWG Presentation: basic information about wave energy (.pdf ~7 MB)

Hatfield Marine Science Center - Summary of Ecological Effects from Wave Energy Projects (.pdf ~100KB)

EPRI Wave Energy White Paper (.pdf ~200KB)

FERC Hydrokinetic Pilot Project Workshop comments (.pdf ~116KB)

UK Wave Hub Surf Impacts report (.pdf ~500KB)

CRS Report for Congress: Which Federal Agency Has the Lead? (.pdf ~ 70KB)

Conflict Resolution for Addressing Climate Change With Ocean-Altering Projects (.pdf ~330KB)

Links:

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Hydrokinetic Industry Activity

Surfrider Foundation Oregon Blog

Surfers Against Sewage -CLEAN & OFFSHORE ENERGY

Electrical Power Research Institute (EPRI)

Finavera

Ocean Power Technologies

Ocean Linx

Mendo Coast Current: The Renewable Energy Viewscape from the Mendocino Coast

Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) & Marine Life?

2009-03-30T08:26:00.001-07:00

One of the environmental concerns about developing alternative ocean energy is that the power has to be transmitting back to shore in a large undersea transmission cable - think of a giant extension cord going from the array of devices back to shore where it plugs into the grid. That transmission line will generate an electromagnetic field (EMF) that may affect marine life.

All electronically charged objects create electromagnetic field (EMF). There are some concerns that EMF might affect marine life who are very sensitive to electromagnetic fields. Sharks, rays and skates (elasmobranchs) are know to be particularly sensitive to EMF because they use it so sense prey. There is also some concern about how EMF might effect the navigational signals used by migrating species, such as turtles and marine mammals (seals, whales, etc).

MMS just announced that they will be funding a study to better understand the effects of electromagnetic fields from undersea transmission lines on marine wildlife. Press Release.

You can also read more about potential EMF impacts on wildlife in a draft memo regarding the infamous Cape Wind project.

FERC & MMS work it out

2009-03-18T09:00:00.001-07:00

Interior Secretary Salazar (oversees MMS) and Acting Chairman of FERC Wellinghoff announced that the two agencies have confirmed their intent to work together to facilitate the permitting of renewable energy in offshore waters.

FERC will oversee wave and tidal projects

MMS will oversee wind and solar projects.

Read the statement here.

Salazar Issues Order to Spur Renewable Energy Developmen

2009-03-14T20:35:00.000-07:00

Citing the critical need to reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil, build a clean energy economy and create new jobs, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today issued a Secretarial Order making the production, development, and delivery of renewable energy top priorities for the Department.

“More so than ever, with job losses continuing to mount, we need to steer the country onto a new energy path,” Salazar said. “One that creates new jobs and puts America out front in new, growing industries, one that promotes investment and innovation here at home and one that makes wise use of our domestic resources.”

Read more...

Energy & the Ocean: Part 1

2009-03-10T21:57:00.000-07:00

This year we are going to publish a series in Making Waves that explores using the ocean as a source of renewable and clean energy. This is Part 1 - an intro on the issues to be addressed. We welcome and encourage your comments!

Last summer, when gas prices neared $5 per gallon and “Drill, Baby Drill” became a campaign slogan, Americans were reawakened to our dangerous and dependent energy policies. Not since the 1970s had energy issues been so prominent in the public consciousness. Once again it became glaringly obvious that we are not only overly dependent on climate warming fossil fuels, but also that we get much of that petroleum from foreign countries – not all of whom are friendly.

A quick check of the facts in combination with the staggering drop in oil prices last fall, demonstrated the futility of offshore drilling as a means of solving our energy crisis. Offshore drilling would only account for 3% of the world’s oil supply.

This summer’s gas price bubble reminded us that now is the time to invest in alternative energy sources that will reduce emissions of greenhouse gases while providing domestic sources of energy, spurring innovation and creating jobs.

As Surfrider Foundation’s policy on climate change acknowledges, increased warming of the Earth’s atmosphere will be felt severely at our coasts. Impacts range from increased coastal erosion and flooding, increased severity of storms, loss of wetlands, acidification of the oceans and threats to coral reefs. The key element to turning around global climate change is to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels for energy.

When looking into our energy sources, it is important to understand that we have two primary energy uses that come from different sources. One major energy use is transportation (cars, shipping, trains, airplanes, etc.). Transportation is powered almost exclusively on petroleum. The other major energy use is electricity to power our houses, office buildings, etc. Electricity has traditionally derived from a mix of sources including coal, hydroelectric, nuclear and natural gas.

The move to electric powered transportation will alter this balance and increase our electricity needs while decreasing our petroleum needs (unless we start using more petroleum to generate electricity).

There are a number of new alternative energy sources that are being developed that are designed to tap into natural energy along the coasts and in the oceans to create electricity. These include wind, tidal, wave and current energy. All of these sources hold the promise of creating domestically available renewable and clean energy that could also support economic development along the coasts. However, there are many questions and concerns about ocean energy, including potential impacts to ocean recreation, nearshore ecology, coastal processes, public safety, aesthetics, and fishing access.

The conflict between supporting clean, renewable energy sources and working to protect the coast from potential impacts presents us with a challenge. It would be easy to succumb to a “Not In My Back Yard” (NIMBY) mentality and just say no to these projects. But by saying no to these projects we are inherently saying yes to some other source of energy that may have negative global ramifications (e.g. coal). The question remains, how can we support clean energy sources along the coasts while minimizing their impacts to our oceans, waves and beaches.

We believe the answer is to constructively participate in project planning and to promote a set of “best practices” to ensure that these impacts are minimized to the fullest extent possible

In this series, we will explore efforts to open new areas to offshore drilling and innovative technologies such as wave energy, wind power, tidal and current energy. We will describe how they work, what the state of the technology is, and how they may impact the coast.

We hope you will join in this conversation. Comment below.

Wave Energy Activist Tool Kit

2009-03-05T13:37:00.000-08:00

Surfrider Position Statements:

Surfrider Foundation Oregon Statement on Wave Energy (.pdf ~70 KB)

Surfrider Foundation Letter to OPT & OPAC on Public Safety and Recreation Issues - February 5, 2007 (.pdf ~100 KB)

Surfrider Letter to OPT regarding Electromagnetic Frequencies (EMF) - August 31, 2007) (.pdf ~90 KB)

Activist Resources:

Florence, OR Motion to Intervene (.pdf ~300 KB)

Links:

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Hydrokinetic Industry Activity

Surfrider Foundation Oregon Blog

Surfers Against Sewage -CLEAN & OFFSHORE ENERGY

Electrical Power Research Institute (EPRI)

Finavera

Ocean Power Technologies

Ocean Linx

Mendo Coast Current: The Renewable Energy Viewscape from the Mendocino Coast

Humboldt Chapter Wave Energy Forum

2009-02-25T20:47:00.000-08:00

On Feb 21, Surfrider's Humboldt Chapter hosted an informational public forum on wave energy development in response to community interest and concern over PG&E's proposed WaveConnect projects off northern California. Presenters included PG&E Representative Ian Caliendo, FERC's Jim Hastreiter, HT Harvey Ecologist Peter Nelson and Surfrider Foundation's Pete Stauffer. Humboldt State University Professor of Economics Steve Hackett joined the panel for a question-and-answer session following the presentations. Over 70 members of the community including elected officials, environmental professionals, surfers, and fishermen attended, as well as members of the Mendocino Chapter who trekked up in support. During the panel, Caliendo (PG&E) noted California's mandate that 20 percent of the state's energy come from renewable energy sources by 2010, and provided an overview of PG&E's pilot Wave Connect proposal which would be sited north or south of the Humboldt Bay harbor entrance (photo). Hastreiter (FERC) expressed confidence in FERC's role as lead agency, and reiterated that the preliminary permit granted to PG&E only allows the company to reserve the area and creates a timeline during which studies much be completed. Stakeholders will have many chances for input, he assured the audience. Nelson (HT Harvey) described potential ecological effects of development, and illustrated the importance of scale. Stauffer (Surfrider) provided an overview of Surfrider's Policy Statement on Alternative Ocean Energy, and acknowledged both potential benefits, as well as the need to proceed incrementally and cautiously. Since this was the newly reconstituted chapter's first forum, members were quite pleased with the event's success. A video of the forum is expected to be available soon.

Finavera Renewables surrenders ocean energy FERC permits in support of corporate focus on wind energy projects

2009-02-18T09:00:00.000-08:00

Vancouver, Canada, February 6th, 2009 – Finavera Renewables Inc. (‘Finavera Renewables’ or the ‘Company’) (TSX-V: FVR) announces it has filed applications to surrender its Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) license for the Makah Bay Wave Energy Pilot Project in Washington and the Humboldt County Preliminary Permit for a proposed wave energy project in California. The decision allows the Company to focus its resources on enhancing its near-term wind project portfolio and provide shareholders with a clearer path to revenue in this challenging economic environment. The Company retains all Intellectual Property associated with the AquaBuOY technology and is actively seeking financial and technical partners for the future development of the technology.

The immediate primary focus remains the continued development of the Company’s wind projects in BC and Ireland through partnerships and/or joint venture arrangements. In the medium term, the Company plans to execute on its project finance agreements and bring the wind energy assets to commercial operation. In the longer term, the Company will continue to assemble a diversified mix of revenue producing, renewable energy assets.

Jason Bak, CEO

For more information:

Finavera Renewables
Myke Clark
SVP Business Development
Finavera Renewables
604-288-9051
mclark@finavera.com

Proposed Coos Bay Wave Energy Project

2009-01-30T14:02:00.000-08:00

Agency comments ask for cutbacks in wave energy plan
By Susan Chambers, Staff Writer, The World Newspaper. Monday, January 26, 2009

Ocean Power Technologies is feeling pressure as local groups, the state and even the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission urge the company to shrink its 200-buoy Coos Bay plan.

Oregon Wave Energy Partners I, as Ocean Power Technologies, filed its notice of intent and preliminary application document with FERC in March 2008 for the 200-buoy array off the North Spit.

The Southern Oregon Ocean Resource Coalition, Oregon International Port of Coos Bay, Surfrider Foundation and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife filed comments suggesting OPT slow down. Instead of going for a full build-out, phase it in after more studies are done, they said.

The 200-buoy plan also runs counter to FERC’s own advice.

To read the entire article, click here

Panels on Wave Energy

2009-01-25T19:29:00.000-08:00

Surfrider Foundation is participating in several panels on Alternative Ocean Energy in the coming months. These public discussions provide a great forum for dialgoue on how this new technology can move forward in a way that minimizes effects to the nearshore environment, ocean recreation, public safety, fishing and other current uses, and aesthetics

Jan 31: NW Water Law Symposium, Portland, OR

Feb 21: Wave Energy Forum sponsored by Humboldt Chapter of Surfrider

Feb 26/29: Public Interest Environmental Law Eugene, OR

April 23/24: Greening the Grid, Portland, OR

Blue Energy

2009-01-16T14:29:00.000-08:00

California Coast & Ocean (Vol. 24, No. 3 2008) recently published a great overview article on wave energy that provides an update on the recent history of wave energy applications in Oregon and California and highlights both the potential for a renewable energy source but also the challenges associated with a blurry regulatory process, technological challenges and possible recreational and environmental impacts.

Read the article here

Grays Harbor Ocean Energy seeks permits seven locations on both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts

2009-01-09T09:35:00.000-08:00

Company seeks to study ocean waves' potential to produce electricity – By Scott Hadly (Scripps Howard News Service) – (January 6, 2009)

A Washington state company has asked federal regulators for a permit to study the potential of producing electricity from ocean waves off the California, Hawaii and Atlantic coasts.

Grays Harbor Ocean Energy applied for the permit in October from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, a first step in what would be a multiyear process.

The company asked for permits in seven locations on both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, he said. Those sites include areas off San Francisco and Ventura County in California, as well as sites off Hawaii, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey.

According to company officials, if all seven sites are developed, they could produce up to 7,700 megawatts of power, enough for 2 million homes.

Read more

Wave power put to the test in Monterey Bay

2008-12-15T12:28:00.000-08:00

SRI International of Menlo Park, observers from the Department of Energy and financiers with the Tokyo-based Hyper Drive Corp are testing a wave buoy technology off of Monterey Bay.

Read the Santa Cruz Sentinel article here

U.S. Department of Energy’s Marine and Hydrokinetic Technology Database

2008-12-08T07:08:00.000-08:00

Marine and Hydrokinetic Technology Database

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Marine and Hydrokinetic Technology Database provides up-to-date information on marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy, both in the U.S. and around the world.

The database includes wave, tidal, current, and ocean thermal energy, and contains information on the various energy conversion technologies, companies active in the field, and development of projects in the water. Depending on the needs of the user, the database can present a snapshot of projects in a given region, assess the progress of a certain technology type, or provide a comprehensive view of the entire marine and hydrokinetic energy industry.

Results are displayed as a list of technologies, companies, or projects. Using the search options at left, data can be filtered by a number of criteria, including country/region, technology type, generation capacity, and technology or project stage. The user can also learn more about the different marine and hydrokinetic technology types by selecting the “Technology Glossary” option. Anyone can submit a technology and/or project for consideration.

The database is currently being updated to include ocean thermal energy technologies, companies, and projects.

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/hydrokinetic/default.aspx

Developing Wave Energy in Coastal California: Potential Socio-Economic and Environmental Effects

2008-11-17T15:25:00.000-08:00

The report Developing Wave Energy in Coastal California: Potential Socio-Economic and Environmental Effects is now available for download.

The report was authored by a team of scientists from H.T. Harvey and Associates, UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory, UC Santa Cruz, the Farallon Institute for Advanced Ecosystem Research, Planwest Partners and Humboldt State University, and jointly funded by the California Ocean Protection Council and the California Energy Commission.

The report reviews the social, economic, and environmental issues associated with wave energy technologies in California, and identifies specific research needed to further evaluate its potential effects. It also identifies the largest information gaps in these social and ecological disciplines: environmental economics, nearshore physical processes, nearshore intertidal and benthic habitats, and the ecology of marine and anadromous fishes, marine birds and marine mammals.

Down load the .pdf here (2.6 MB)

Prototype successfully tested off Newport, Oregon

2008-10-15T10:07:00.000-07:00

The newest prototype of a wave energy device being developed by Oregon State University and Columbia Power Technologies was successfully tested last month in the ocean off Newport, Ore., providing valuable data and moving the research program closer to commercialization.

In a $1 million research effort during the past year, 18 different “direct drive” wave energy technologies have been evaluated, five of the most promising selected from that group, and one approach has now been tested in the ocean. The work has been a collaboration of OSU, Columbia Power Technologies and the Facilities Engineering Command of the U.S. Navy.

The move of this work towards commercial use within two or three years is promising, researchers say.

Read more

Columbia Power Technologies

Everybody Into the Ocean

2008-10-07T07:49:00.000-07:00

The Wall Street Journal just reported on the current state of alternative ocean energy and the desire to find clean, renewable energy sources. The article highlights the regulatory challenges include the confusion regarding the jurisdictional overlap between FERC & MMS.

The article mentions environmental and fishing concerns as well.

Of course, George Boehlert, director of the Hatfield Marine Science Center at Oregon State University was talking about Gray Whales not Great Whales.

Check it out here.

Ocean Power Technologies Wins New $2M Award from US Department of Energy

2008-10-02T08:40:00.000-07:00

Ocean Power Technologies Wins New $2M Award from US Department of Energy – (October 2, 2008)

PENNINGTON, N.J., Oct 02, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: OPTT and London Stock Exchange AIM: OPT) ("OPT" or the "Company") today announces that it has received a US$2.0 million award from the US Department of Energy (DoE), in support of OPT's wave power project in Reedsport, Oregon.

The DoE grant will be used to help fund the fabrication, assembly and factory testing of the first PowerBuoy(R) to be installed at the Reedsport site. This system will be a 150 kilowatt-rated PB150 PowerBuoy, major portions of which will be fabricated and integrated in Oregon. This is the first award for the building of ocean wave energy systems by the DoE, and the Company believes it is indicative of the growing recognition and support of wave energy within the US federal and state governments. Oregon's Governor Ted Kulongoski has emphatically recognized the importance of wave energy in playing a key part in helping Oregon reach its renewable energy goals for the future. This has included formation of the Oregon Wave Energy Trust, which provides funding for initiatives in furtherance of the State's realizing benefits from wave energy. OPT has been an active participant with many stakeholders in the State and along the Oregon coast, working with fishing, conservation, municipal, State, federal and other groups.

The Surfrider Foundation in Oregon has been actively involved in this project and sits on the stakeholder group. OPT has thus far been a model for community participation in the development of a wave energy project.

Ecological Effects of Wave Energy Development in the PNW

2008-09-27T13:50:00.000-07:00

In October 2007, Oregon a diverse group of some 50 marine scientists from around the country participated in a 3 day workshop on the ecological effects of wave energy. The principal objectives of the workshop were o develop an initial assessment of the potential impacting agents and ecological effects of wave energy development, and 2) to formulate a general conceptual framework of physical and biological relationships that can be applied to specific wave energy projects.

The report that came out of the workshop was just released. Check it out:

Ecological Effects of Wave Energy Development in the Pacific Northwest
A scientific workshop, October 11-12, 2007
Editors George W. Boehlert, Gregory R. McMurray, and Cathryn E. Tortorici

Click here to download (2.5 MB .pdf)

The Power of Water

2008-09-27T13:38:00.000-07:00

The colossal power of the ocean continues to attract companies around the world.

Check out this insightful video from the NY times

Ocean Renewable Energy Conference

2008-08-30T16:46:00.000-07:00

On Sept 25-26, 2008 the Oregon Wave Energy Trust will host the third annual Ocean Renewable Energy Conference at the Mill Convention Center in Coos Bay, Oregon. The conference will present on all aspects of project development from early stage community engagement to final deployment and energy generation. As part of the program, Surfrider Foundation will participate in a panel discussion on Friday morning on Community Perspectives. Please join community leaders, developers, utilities, state and federal agency staff that are working on this important issue. Also, on Sept 24, an Open House on Community Involvement will be held at the Southern Oregon Community College from 6-8 pm. To register for the conference please visit http://www.oregonwave.org/ See you there.

Wave & Wind Power in Mendocino

2008-08-15T10:58:00.000-07:00

Wind and wave energy off of the Mendocino coast offers hope and questions.

Locals appear supportive but want to make sure they are part of the planning process.

Read Sacramento Bee article here.

Finavera Sunken Wave Energy Buoy Recovery Underway

2008-07-25T13:51:00.000-07:00

It sank to the bottom in 150 feet of water just one day before its planned retrieval. After nine months of waiting, divers and salvage vessels are currently on site to assist in the rebirth of a 75-foot, 40-ton wave energy buoy. The buoy, now in separate pieces, is being towed up the Yaquna River to a salvage yard. The first piece (the 10-foot surface ring) came in at 2:00 am Thursday morning. The Newport Chapter of Surfrider Foundation submitted comments and requested disclosure earlier this year to the Department of State Lands and Finavera's plans for removing the buoy prior to the expiration of the temporary use permit. "We were concerned that the state was going to be left holding the bag on this, and we didn't want it to set precendent for future salvage efforts that will surely come as we explore new alternative energy projects in Oregon," said Newport Chapter's Joe Haxel. "It's great to see Finavera following through on the salvage."

The Surfrider Foundation is excited about the prospects for new alternative energy projects but recognizes the need to move forward with cautious yet optimistic planning. Finavera said they would use the data gleaned from the buoy before its demise to "move forward with technological development". We hope the local/state agencies and various stakeholders can embrace this as a learning experience to better prepare Oregon for the development of this new technology. Read more

Surfrider Foundation Alternative Ocean Energy Policy

2008-07-08T11:11:00.000-07:00

While meeting in Newport, Oregon on June 28th, the Surfrider Foundation Board of Directors passed an Alternative Ocean Energy policy that defines our approach toward renewable energy projects along the world's coasts and oceans.

Alternative Ocean Energy Policy

The policy highlights the importance of seeking clean energy sources such as those provided by the oceans to reduce our dependency of fossil fuels that are creating global warming.

The policy also recognizes that there are many questions and concerns about ocean energy, including potential impacts to ocean recreation, nearshore ecology, coastal processes, public safety, aesthetics, and fishing access.

The policy also stresses the need for transparency and meaningful public input on future projects.

The Economist on Wave Energy

2008-06-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

Enthusiasm for renewable energy means wind turbines and solar panels are popping up all over the place. But what happened to wave power?

Read the Economist's overview of the challenges of generating energy from waves.

Harnessing the Power of the Gulf Stream

2008-06-11T11:45:00.000-07:00

A series of underwater turbines could harness the Gulf Stream's energy, researchers say. Illustration courtesy FAU Florida Center for Electronic Communications

Click here for the story

Florida Atlantic University Center of Excellence on Ocean Energy Technology

Reedsport: Adpative Management

2008-06-01T11:07:00.000-07:00

Oregon Chapter of Surfrider continues to be involved in a settlement process with federal and state agencies, conservation groups and Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) to agree on a precautionary approach to wave energy in Reedsport. Negotiations have developed a draft settlement agreement that includes an adaptive management strategy. This strategy includes several study plans that OPT has agreed to conduct to identify any potential adverse effects from the first and second phases of the wave energy project. The company hopes to install one buoy and then ten buoys before a potential build-out to 200 buoys. Adaptive Management ensures that parties reassess implementation of the project at each phase to avoid or minimize degradation to aquatic resources. Initial phases will include studies on aquatic species such as marine mammals, sharks, fish, plankton, and migratory birds. OPT will also study effects of wave energy buoys on recreation, public safety, crabbing, fishing, and cultural resources. Surfrider intends to remain engaged throughout the process to help ensure that adverse effects are addressed appropriately and efficiently.

Florence: Oceanlinx Withdraws Application!

2008-05-28T10:57:00.000-07:00

In August of 2007, the Oregon Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation filed a motion of intervention with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for the Florence Wave Energy facility proposed by the Australian company Oceanlinx. This motion (the first ever filed in the world by Surfrider) was brought about by concerns raised by local ocean users of the Florence Organizing Committee who wished to have a formal seat at the table when discussions moved forward in the planning process. Major concerns included the proposed size of platforms, their location and it's likely impact on existing recreational uses, reductions in wave height, alterations of sediment transport, as well as impacts to aesthetics, public safety, and potential environmental impacts such as electromagnetic fields. The Surfrider Foundation supports finding new ways to harness renewable energy, as long as local needs and impacts are taken into proper consideration and steps are taken to avoid degradation of cultural rituals. After nearly 9 months had gone by since Oceanlinx had filed its preliminary permit application, and zero public outreach and stakeholder involement had been initiated, the company decided to withdraw their permit from consideration by FERC. For those who love surfing the south jetty, fishing and crabbing in the nearshore waters, or a nice stroll along the beach to view a beautiful Pacific sunset, this news was a major victory! This victory will serve notice to any gold rush dreamers that we here on the Central Oregon Coast stand ready to defend our oceans, waves, and beaches for the use and enjoyment for all people. (photo by Stiv J. Wilson)

Tale of the Sunken Buoy

2008-05-28T09:53:00.000-07:00

This just in from Surfrider Foundation Oregon:

In Oct 2007, a Finavera wave energy AquaBuOY deployed as a pilot project sank off the coast of Newport a day before its scheduled removal. The 72 foot buoy composed of metal and rubber has remained on the ocean floor since then, with Finavera representatives citing winter ocean conditions as an impediment to the buoy's removal. In April 2008, the Newport Chapter of Surfrider sent a letter to the Dept of State Lands (DSL) requesting an update on the salvage plan and expressing concerns over potential environmental and public safety impacts. During the recent Ocean Policy Advisory Council (OPAC) meeting, DSL Director Louise Solliday emphasized the agency's commitment to securing removal of the buoy. Solliday indicated that if Finavera does not remove the buoy by July of 2008, (Temporary Use Permit expires) the agency will make arrangements to remove the buoy. We thank DSL for their commitment to keeping our ocean floor free of large debris!

Read more

WA Department of Ecology Challenges FERC

2008-05-28T00:46:00.000-07:00

On May 15th, 2008 - WA Department of Ecology announced that they filed a petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to protect the state’s role in federal licensing procedures for energy projects. The petition asks the court to clarify federal law regarding a recent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) decision.

In December, FERC sidestepped the established licensing procedure by granting a conditioned license to Finavera Renewables, superseding decisions from other federal and state agencies with authority in the federal licensing process. Finavera proposes a wave energy project at Makah Bay off the Washington coast.

FERC denied Ecology’s initial appeal of the Finavera conditioned license in March.

Ecology argues that federal law does not allow FERC to offer a conditioned license in advance of obtaining input and consideration from the other agencies with a regulatory role in the licensing process. Today’s petition would permit the federal court to determine if FERC’s action is consistent with federal law. Ecology requests the court confirm the existing requirements of federal law by declaring that FERC does not have authority to issue conditioned licenses.

More...