US Approves First Offshore Wind Farm

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

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

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,

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Offshore Wind, Marine Spatial Planning and Aquaculture

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

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

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.

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Comments Sought for Wave Energy Project in Oregon

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.

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