Ocean buoys could be next wave of energy
According to KGW:
Inside an engineering lab at Oregon State University, researchers are testing what could be a revolution in renewable energy in Oregon.
It’s a buoy that can generate electricity from the oceans waves.
“What we’re seeing is that it’s a very promising untapped technology,” explained Annette VonJouanne, an Electrical Engineering Professor at OSU. “There’s a tremendous amount of energy available in the world’s oceans.
Researchers say so-called “wave energy parks” could some day power up to 35,000 homes and supply ten percent of Oregon’s energy needs.
And because of the buoys relatively small size, the parks would take up only about one-third of one percent of the state’s 600 square mile coast line leaving room for other ocean industries.
“We certainly are very aware the fishing and crabbing community is very strong off the Oregon coast so we want to insure we have minimal impact on that very successful industry,” explain VonJouanne.
The researchers are even working with fisherman to determine which areas would least impact them. And they say they will l continue to work with fisherman as the technology is fine-tuned.
We’ve already seen the radical environmental opposition to wave energy. We’ll be monitoring the development of OSU’s ocean buoys. Don’t be surprised if this new project is challenged by environmental groups. They’ve shown how far they are willing to go in the past. It would only be consistent for them to challenge this project.
