In an effort to support President Joe Biden’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, the Department of Energy announced $25 million in funding to strengthen research into wave energy technology.
According to a release by DOE on Jan. 25, the funding will focus on development and demonstration of the technology involved in harnessing wave power for electricity. This includes eight projects in what is the first round of open water testing at the PacWave South test site located off the coast of Oregon.
“Harnessing the unrelenting power of the ocean is a clean, innovative, and sustainable way to curtail carbon pollution — benefitting American businesses and families, especially coastal communities hit hardest by the impacts of climate change,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “Diversifying and expanding our clean energy sources will usher in a new era of energy independence that makes the grid more resilient, curbs the climate crisis, and saves Americans money on their energy bills.”
DOE partnered with Oregon State University in 2016 to create the PacWave South test facility. It is the first accredited, grid-connected, pre-permitted open water wave energy test facility in the country.
According to DOE, the movement when waves are created makes a large amount of natural energy. Researchers are testing how to capture that energy and convert it into carbon-free electricity, and then scale the operation for consumer use.
The projects are supervised by the Water Power Technologies Office. Focuses include:
* testing wave energy converter designs for use in geographically remote areas on small energy grids, with locations in Oakland, California and Charlottesville, Virginia;
* developing wave energy converter designs to be connected or disconnected from the grid at locations in Santa Barbara, California, and Seattle;
* and research and development at PacWave about environmental monitoring technologies and instrumentation systems that operators use to control wave energy converters at locations in two locations in Seattle, one in Portland, Oregon, and another in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Various government officials praised the funding and the projects that promote the creation of clean energy. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, said wave energy is an “essential piece” to combat climate change and he was happy that his state was playing a central role, and Sen. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, shared the same sentiments.
“These federal grants will provide the necessary investments to responsibly and more efficiently harness power from U.S. waters, extending all the way from New Bedford, Massachusetts to the Pacific Northwest,” said Markey. “Let’s ride these waves to our clean energy future.”
