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Alan Wallace, left, and Annette von Jouanne, engineers at Oregon State University, are leading a new project to develop renewable sources of energy from the ocean.
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ENLARGE
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Testing
Wave testing is done at Oregon State University’s O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory.
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GARDINER -- With enough money, a new kind of buoy could soon float off the coast of Gardiner.
It wouldn't be the typical red and white markers for fishermen. Instead the cylinders, 10 feet in diameter and 8 feet tall, would include internal generators that could convert waves into tangible energy.
Gardiner is the ideal location to develop a demonstration site where researchers from all over the country could test ocean energy devices, according to the Electric Power Resource Institute of Palo Alto, Calif.
"The wave conditions are very good and very predictable" at the Gardiner location, said Alan Wallace, one of two Oregon State University engineering professors who are currently working on three prototypes of the buoys, which they hope to test at the site and eventually develop into a wave energy "park."
Gardiner is also a prime spot because it has appropriate undersea terrain and an electrical substation at the former International Paper mill that could be used to connect power back into the grid, he said.
EPRI also identified potential wave energy sites off the coasts of California, Maine, Hawaii and Massachusetts.
Researchers say ocean power has tremendous potential but lags behind advances in wind-generated power.
"Right now it's really in its infancy," said Annette von Jouanne, Wallace's colleague. "We're about 10 to 20 years behind wind. We do feel that in time we'd be able to catch up to wind and be as cost-effective as wind."
Wave energy also has advantages, Wallace said. It's more reliable and predictable than wind power, because waves can be identified when they're 100 to 200 miles offshore.
"I think the long-term potential is very, very good. There's a large amount of energy in the ocean," Wallace said.
He said just .2 percent of the energy from the ocean could supply power for the entire world.
The two professors envision OSU as the epicenter for national wave energy research because of the engineering college's extensive energy systems and wave research labs, and the university's proximity to the future Gardiner demonstration site. They expect a research center would cost $5 million.
Wallace, von Jouanne and 15 students have already tested the first prototype, a buoy that would be anchored to the ocean floor and ride up and down with ocean swells, causing electric coils to move through a magnetic field, which would generate voltage to produce electricity. A cable on the ocean floor would transfer the electricity to the substation via the paper mill's old effluent pipe that extends into the ocean. During a storm, the device would be pulled beneath the waves.
Each buoy would produce about 200 kilowatts of power. The professors say a network of 50 buoys could provide enough power for the equivalent of 5,000 homes.
OSU has the support of EPRI, which also set its sites on Gardiner as the prime spot to launch a $4.6 million, two-year pilot project to determine the feasibility of wave energy technology, including how much it would cost to operate and how well the technology would respond to storms.
It wouldn't be the typical red and white markers for fishermen. Instead the cylinders, 10 feet in diameter and 8 feet tall, would include internal generators that could convert waves into tangible energy.
Gardiner is the ideal location to develop a demonstration site where researchers from all over the country could test ocean energy devices, according to the Electric Power Resource Institute of Palo Alto, Calif.
"The wave conditions are very good and very predictable" at the Gardiner location, said Alan Wallace, one of two Oregon State University engineering professors who are currently working on three prototypes of the buoys, which they hope to test at the site and eventually develop into a wave energy "park."
Gardiner is also a prime spot because it has appropriate undersea terrain and an electrical substation at the former International Paper mill that could be used to connect power back into the grid, he said.
EPRI also identified potential wave energy sites off the coasts of California, Maine, Hawaii and Massachusetts.
Researchers say ocean power has tremendous potential but lags behind advances in wind-generated power.
"Right now it's really in its infancy," said Annette von Jouanne, Wallace's colleague. "We're about 10 to 20 years behind wind. We do feel that in time we'd be able to catch up to wind and be as cost-effective as wind."
Wave energy also has advantages, Wallace said. It's more reliable and predictable than wind power, because waves can be identified when they're 100 to 200 miles offshore.
"I think the long-term potential is very, very good. There's a large amount of energy in the ocean," Wallace said.
He said just .2 percent of the energy from the ocean could supply power for the entire world.
The two professors envision OSU as the epicenter for national wave energy research because of the engineering college's extensive energy systems and wave research labs, and the university's proximity to the future Gardiner demonstration site. They expect a research center would cost $5 million.
Wallace, von Jouanne and 15 students have already tested the first prototype, a buoy that would be anchored to the ocean floor and ride up and down with ocean swells, causing electric coils to move through a magnetic field, which would generate voltage to produce electricity. A cable on the ocean floor would transfer the electricity to the substation via the paper mill's old effluent pipe that extends into the ocean. During a storm, the device would be pulled beneath the waves.
Each buoy would produce about 200 kilowatts of power. The professors say a network of 50 buoys could provide enough power for the equivalent of 5,000 homes.
OSU has the support of EPRI, which also set its sites on Gardiner as the prime spot to launch a $4.6 million, two-year pilot project to determine the feasibility of wave energy technology, including how much it would cost to operate and how well the technology would respond to storms.
"These are key things that investors worry about," said Roger Bedard, EPRI's ocean energy project manager.
It's important investors believe in the technology for wave energy to take hold, he said.
The only full-scale wave-energy test operates off the coast of Scotland, according to EPRI. The project delivered wave power to the electrical grid for the first time last August. EPRI has not yet determined what technology would be used at the site, but the Scotland device is one option.
"It certainly would help our recovering economy," said Keith Tymchuk, the former mayor of Reedsport, who has been in contact with the OSU researchers. "In a best case scenario, those would be professional (jobs) as well, with higher incomes."
Stan Vejtasa, who has a background in wave energy, said he supports the research but remains skeptical that wave energy could compete with wind and solar.
"I have never seen a wave scheme that looked like it was going to be economically viable," the Roseburg resident said.
Vejtasa used to work for EPRI, and was in charge of researching and comparing different methods of power generation. He found wave energy required expensive equipment that could be easily damaged in a storm.
It's important investors believe in the technology for wave energy to take hold, he said.
The only full-scale wave-energy test operates off the coast of Scotland, according to EPRI. The project delivered wave power to the electrical grid for the first time last August. EPRI has not yet determined what technology would be used at the site, but the Scotland device is one option.
"It certainly would help our recovering economy," said Keith Tymchuk, the former mayor of Reedsport, who has been in contact with the OSU researchers. "In a best case scenario, those would be professional (jobs) as well, with higher incomes."
Stan Vejtasa, who has a background in wave energy, said he supports the research but remains skeptical that wave energy could compete with wind and solar.
"I have never seen a wave scheme that looked like it was going to be economically viable," the Roseburg resident said.
Vejtasa used to work for EPRI, and was in charge of researching and comparing different methods of power generation. He found wave energy required expensive equipment that could be easily damaged in a storm.
More information
<b>Oregon State University’s program:</b>
http://classes.engr.oregonstate.edu/eecs/fall2003/ece441/groups/g12/index.html Electric Power Research Institute: www.epri.com. Click on “Offshore wave energy reports” under Showcase Projects. <b>U.S. Department of Energy:</b> http://www.eere.energy.gov/RE/ocean.html |
"I'd be surprised if you'd get financing for a commercial-size venture," he said.
Yet he concedes that wind also faced obstacles in its infancy.
Funding is the biggest obstacle to developing the research center and the demonstration site, but collaborators include the Oregon Department of Energy, the Bonneville Power Administration, the Oregon Sea Grants Program and the National Science Foundation, which provided the $270,000 grant to OSU to design the prototypes.
Last month, EPRI met with the Oregon Department of Energy and multiple other agencies and nonprofit organizations in Portland to discuss potential partners for wave energy development.
Central Lincoln Public Utility District, the power supplier for the central coast, also committed $20,000 to EPRI for the initial planning and has expressed interest in buying power from the system.
Wallace and von Jouanne are currently seeking out grants and funding to continue their research with a goal of testing the buoy system for a day at the Gardiner site in two years, to give the community an idea of what the system would entail.
"We really want to work with coastal communities to explore this opportunity," von Jouanne said.
* You can reach reporter Diane Huber at 957-4218 or by e-mail at dhuber@newsreview.info.
Yet he concedes that wind also faced obstacles in its infancy.
Funding is the biggest obstacle to developing the research center and the demonstration site, but collaborators include the Oregon Department of Energy, the Bonneville Power Administration, the Oregon Sea Grants Program and the National Science Foundation, which provided the $270,000 grant to OSU to design the prototypes.
Last month, EPRI met with the Oregon Department of Energy and multiple other agencies and nonprofit organizations in Portland to discuss potential partners for wave energy development.
Central Lincoln Public Utility District, the power supplier for the central coast, also committed $20,000 to EPRI for the initial planning and has expressed interest in buying power from the system.
Wallace and von Jouanne are currently seeking out grants and funding to continue their research with a goal of testing the buoy system for a day at the Gardiner site in two years, to give the community an idea of what the system would entail.
"We really want to work with coastal communities to explore this opportunity," von Jouanne said.
* You can reach reporter Diane Huber at 957-4218 or by e-mail at dhuber@newsreview.info.
