The Oregon Wave Energy Project
By lauralolita
Renewable Wave Energy
Oregon is moving ahead with plans for the nation's first commercial wave energy station.
Wave energy is caused by the wind blowing over the surface of the ocean, causing swells. These swells carry that energy to coastlines across the world, where the energy can then be captured and used to generate electricity. Developing safe and efficient ways to collect wave energy will be instrumental in learning how to rely solely on renewable energy.
The Wave Energy project in Oregon will be the first of its kind for the United States. Oregon, a state committed to the use of renewable energy, was chosen based upon its appealing coastline qualities and wave structure. If this project proves a success, we’ll see the further implementation of wave energy, a lessened reliability of fossil fuels, and the continued research and development of renewable sources like wind, solar, bio-fuels, and geothermal technologies.
Learn More about the Oregon Wave Energy Project
- Renewable Energy Ocean Wave Energy Development
Renewable Resources Ocean Wave Energy Development - Oregon Wave Energy Trust
A public-private non-profit entity dedicated to helping develop renewable wave energy technology.
What Some Environmentalists Say About Wave Energy
Developing renewable energy sources also pose a much smaller threat to the environment than the extraction and burning of carbon-based fuels.
Though many environmentalists may argue that the Oregon Wave Energy project and others like it threaten the oceanic environments they encompass, the benefits outweigh the risks. A prime example of this is the 2010 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill, which has leaked an estimated 600,000 barrels of oil into the Gulf, home of some of the largest fisheries in the world.
The question I have for the environmentalists, who they themselves use electricity, oppose this project due to environmental concerns, “Would you rather contribute to the destruction of an entire ecosystem or pursue a plan that would offer a safer, less invasive method of powering your air conditioners and smoothie makers?”
It is crucial to expand our knowledge of renewable energy and continue researching and developing newer and better ways to capture this energy. Considering what the risks might be if we don’t pursue renewable wave energy, I’d say there is no other choice if we want to protect the home God has given us.
Wave Energy Explanations
Jason Busch 9 months ago
As the executive director of the Oregon Wave Energy Trust, I help oversee the state's efforts to bring ocean energy online. Our mission is to promote the responsible development of ocean energy. Mitigating any environmental impacts is key to that effort, and OWET, the industry, and the federal government have spent a great deal of money to understand and mitigate impacts. Our best science at this point tells us that ocean energy will be very low impact, not "no impact." But no form of energy development is impact free.
I applaud the author's salient point that the environmental community, of which I include myself, must make a choice between the status quo (fossil fuels) and a future where we derive the majority of our electricity from renewable sources. Conservation and efficiency are absolutely imperative to that future, but we cannot and will not conserve our way into that future. And ultimately, we must decide between the minimal impacts of new forms of renewables and the catastrophic effects of our current energy paradigm.