Oregon Opens Testing Facility for Wave Energy

Only recently, the US has taken a major step towards turning to green energy sources and pushing for sustainability, seeing how a testing facility for wave power has been made operational near Newport, Oregon.

Apparently, this will make it possible both for private companies, and for scientists working with various research institutes to test the efficiency and reliability of present and future wave power harvesting technologies, and therefore help boost the popularity of this emerging, green-oriented industry.

To be more precise, it seems that various wave types require being tackled in different ways so as to make the most of the energy they have stored within them.

Therefore, prior to building power plants that rely on this renewable energy resource, it is of utmost importance to fully understand wave dynamics, and pin down the solutions that should yield the best results.

Speaking on behalf of the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center, Sean Moran explained how, “We have to find out more about which technologies work best, in what conditions, and what environmental impacts there may be.”

He further elaborated on this issue, and stated that, “We’re not assuming anything. We’re first trying to answer the question, ‘Is this a good idea or not?’ And if some technology doesn’t work as well, we want to find that out quickly, and cheaply, and the Ocean Sentinel will help us do that.”

Newswise informs us that this testing facility comes as a result of a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Energy, the Oregon Department of Energy, and the Oregon Wave Energy Trust. As well as this, Oregon's new Ocean Sentinel cost about $1.5 million (€1.20 million / ₤0.95 million).

However, given the fact that aquatic environments are rather unpredictable, and that devices aimed at harvesting wave power might very easily find themselves having to stand up to quite violent storms, it comes as good news that efforts are made to transform this emerging green industry into an efficient and trust worthy one.