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Ted Brekken
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ENLARGE
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Robin Hartmann
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There are still many unknowns to be explored, but Douglas County commercial utility representatives are among those looking at riding the latest wave of renewable energy projects — wave energy.
On Tuesday, the Lunch Bunch, a monthly men's discussion group, brought together four panelists at the Roseburg Country Club to discuss the mechanics of wave energy, as well as local interest and possible outcomes in such projects.
Ted Brekken, an Oregon State University assistant professor in energy systems and co-director of the university's Wallace Energy Systems and Renewables Facility, explained some of the mechanics of wave-powered electric generation.
Brekken said Oregon residents east of the Cascades naturally use less power than the more populated western side of the state. However, he added most newer energy generation comes from Eastern Oregon, making delivery of the energy a challenge.
Brekken also said that wave energy is located near larger populations, and the seasonal fluxes of higher wave action in the winter match up with consumption needs for coastal climate heating, too. Wave energy is also stronger on the West Coast, he said, and with a delivery system in place, he thinks there's room to support new projects.
“It's not a silver bullet but it can be a significant resource, especially for this area,” he said, adding that wave energy could significantly help Oregon achieve its goal to have 25 percent of energy needs met by renewable energy by 2025.
Because wave energy is about 15 years behind wind energy development, the technology for harnessing the surf lacks the set mechanical design of the wind turbines. Engineers are still working to design turbines that can withstand saltwater and the violent nature of the surf.
Brekken described five different turbines that mostly work on principals of hydraulics. He also talked about OSU's current research project, a buoy that operates with a coil moving past magnets to create energy, similar to the way hand-cranked flashlights are powered.
Following Brekken's primer on wave potential, Roseburg attorney Ron Yokim and Pacific Northwest Generating Cooperative's Kevin Watkins described some of the wave parks set to take up residence offshore at Reedsport and Gardiner.
Yokim said Douglas County is looking at the feasibility of installing an oscillating water column, which would be a stationary structure, on one of the jetties in Reedsport.
With the control and monitoring systems already in place for the county's energy project at the Galesville Dam, Yokim said the Reedsport project might be a good fit.
Yokim said the big question that Douglas County commissioners would have to decide is if the project is worth its salt. He said a structure potentially could recoup the cost of its operation and maintenance, as well as provide money to the county, but it wouldn't be able to cover the costs of construction.
However, he did indicate that grant funding could help cover construction costs.
Watkins, the cooperative's engineering vice president, talked about the utility's test project to put in point-absorber buoys, moored to the ocean floor, between 2010 and 2013 at Gardiner to test the feasibility of wave energy.
While the mechanical and cost issues are getting ironed out, effects on local residents and wildlife are being researched.
Roseburg's Robin Hartmann is ocean program director for the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition and board member for Oregon Wave Energy Trust, which helping to fund studies to track migration and habitat patterns for both seabirds and gray whales that inhabit the area proposed for wave parks and the possible impact such parks might have on those animals.
She said some of the trust's concerns include whale entanglement in the cable-mooring systems. She also said the further research is needed on the buoys' effects on wildlife that are sensitive to electromagnetic fields.
• You can reach reporter DD Bixby at 957-4211 or by e-mail at dbixby@nrtoday.com.
On Tuesday, the Lunch Bunch, a monthly men's discussion group, brought together four panelists at the Roseburg Country Club to discuss the mechanics of wave energy, as well as local interest and possible outcomes in such projects.
Ted Brekken, an Oregon State University assistant professor in energy systems and co-director of the university's Wallace Energy Systems and Renewables Facility, explained some of the mechanics of wave-powered electric generation.
Brekken said Oregon residents east of the Cascades naturally use less power than the more populated western side of the state. However, he added most newer energy generation comes from Eastern Oregon, making delivery of the energy a challenge.
Brekken also said that wave energy is located near larger populations, and the seasonal fluxes of higher wave action in the winter match up with consumption needs for coastal climate heating, too. Wave energy is also stronger on the West Coast, he said, and with a delivery system in place, he thinks there's room to support new projects.
“It's not a silver bullet but it can be a significant resource, especially for this area,” he said, adding that wave energy could significantly help Oregon achieve its goal to have 25 percent of energy needs met by renewable energy by 2025.
Because wave energy is about 15 years behind wind energy development, the technology for harnessing the surf lacks the set mechanical design of the wind turbines. Engineers are still working to design turbines that can withstand saltwater and the violent nature of the surf.
Brekken described five different turbines that mostly work on principals of hydraulics. He also talked about OSU's current research project, a buoy that operates with a coil moving past magnets to create energy, similar to the way hand-cranked flashlights are powered.
Following Brekken's primer on wave potential, Roseburg attorney Ron Yokim and Pacific Northwest Generating Cooperative's Kevin Watkins described some of the wave parks set to take up residence offshore at Reedsport and Gardiner.
Yokim said Douglas County is looking at the feasibility of installing an oscillating water column, which would be a stationary structure, on one of the jetties in Reedsport.
With the control and monitoring systems already in place for the county's energy project at the Galesville Dam, Yokim said the Reedsport project might be a good fit.
Yokim said the big question that Douglas County commissioners would have to decide is if the project is worth its salt. He said a structure potentially could recoup the cost of its operation and maintenance, as well as provide money to the county, but it wouldn't be able to cover the costs of construction.
However, he did indicate that grant funding could help cover construction costs.
Watkins, the cooperative's engineering vice president, talked about the utility's test project to put in point-absorber buoys, moored to the ocean floor, between 2010 and 2013 at Gardiner to test the feasibility of wave energy.
While the mechanical and cost issues are getting ironed out, effects on local residents and wildlife are being researched.
Roseburg's Robin Hartmann is ocean program director for the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition and board member for Oregon Wave Energy Trust, which helping to fund studies to track migration and habitat patterns for both seabirds and gray whales that inhabit the area proposed for wave parks and the possible impact such parks might have on those animals.
She said some of the trust's concerns include whale entanglement in the cable-mooring systems. She also said the further research is needed on the buoys' effects on wildlife that are sensitive to electromagnetic fields.
• You can reach reporter DD Bixby at 957-4211 or by e-mail at dbixby@nrtoday.com.
