Oregon’s state government and national energy companies are interested in harnessing the potential wave energy of the ocean off the Oregon coast. In the near future, Oregonians could be using energy powered by waves.
Buoys that will harness the power of the ocean’s waves are being built by Ocean Power Technologies (OPT), a New Jersey-based company, and measure 140 feet tall and weigh 200 tons. The project is currently in the testing phase.
Compared to wind, moving water, such as in a river or ocean, is 20 times as dense, which means it creates more energy. Experts say there is a lot of potential energy to be harnessed from Oregon’s ocean.
A doughnut-shaped float moves up and down on the buoy, generating electricity that goes through an underwater station. The electricity then travels to the shore via a cable through a pipeline, according to the OPT Web site.
There are a lot of issues to be dealt with before any concrete plans are made. The organizers, planners and government need to research how the buoys will impact the Oregon coast.
The Oregon state government and buoy developers are trying to decide which locations would be the most beneficial and would have the least impact on the marine life, the fishing and crabbing industries and tourism. It could take three to four years to conduct an inventory of the ocean and collect enough data.
“It all boils down to location,” said Nick Furman, executive director of the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission and chairman of the Southern Oregon Ocean Resource Coalition.
“We’re not opposed to the development of wave energy,” Furman said. “If it can be developed and not have a negative impact on the fishing industry, then that’s wonderful.”
But there’s a conflict.
“Some places identified as good areas for these buoys happen to be in the middle of fishing grounds,” Furman said.
However, Furman found the government has been receptive to these concerns.
“Their pace is slowing down. We want to make sure it doesn’t happen too fast. We’re trying to keep an open mind and work with the state so that there’s enough room for everyone.”
Oregon coast community members and representatives are divided in their opinions on the issue. Some think the buoy development will provide new jobs and a clean alternative energy source, but others argue the buoys will diminish the natural beauty of the ocean and negatively affect marine life.
“People on the Oregon coast don’t want these things marring their million-dollar views. People come to the coast to experience nature, not a big bobbing industrial thing off the coast,” said Onno Husing, executive director of Oregon Coastal Zone Management Association.
The State of Oregon has control over the ocean off the coast up to three miles out. The federal government has control beyond that.
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