Wave-energy project halted

WASHINGTON STATE - A small wave-energy project off Washington's northwest coast won't be built after its British Columbia-based developer decided to halt all wave-energy projects and focus instead on wind power.

The one-megawatt project planned for Makah Bay in the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary was the country's first wave-energy project to receive an operating license. Its developer, Finavera Renewables, also pulled permits for a larger project it had planned off the Northern California coast.

Such projects use buoys equipped with turbines that harness the power of the rolling waves to generate electricity.

Finavera declined to comment about why it decided to give up its wave-energy projects, but officials said its most pressing concern is finishing a handful of wind projects in Canada and Ireland.

The company's wave-power buoy sank unexpectedly during a test run more than a year ago off the Oregon coast, and the plans to place four buoys in Makah Bay have lagged because of state and federal permitting.

Finavera's decision isn't surprising given the wave-energy industry's infancy compared with wind, which now has honed its turbine technology and lowered power costs, said Roger Bedard, ocean-energy leader with the nonprofit Electric Power Research Institute.

Bedard said he was optimistic that wave-device testing and planned commercial projects by different companies and Oregon State University off the Oregon coast will propel the young field forward.

Related News

nrc power plant

US NRC streamlines licensing for advanced reactors

WASHINGTON - The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) voted 4-0 to approve the implementation of a more streamlined and predictable licensing pathway for advanced non-light water reactors, the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) announced.

This approach is consistent with the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernisation Act (NEIMA) legislation passed in 2019 by the US Congress calling for the development of a risk-informed, performance-based and technology inclusive licensing process for advanced reactor developers.

NEI Chief Nuclear Officer Doug True said: “A modernised regulatory framework is a key enabler of next-generation nuclear technologies that can help us meet our energy needs while protecting the climate.…

READ MORE
china electric bus

Why electric buses haven't taken over the world—yet

READ MORE

concrete power poles

Chinese-built electricity poles plant inaugurated in South Sudan

READ MORE

weed zapper

A robot is killing weeds by zapping them with electricity

READ MORE

crossrail train

Crossrail will generate electricity using the wind created by trains

READ MORE