By the fall of next year, Oregon State University’s new wave-energy testing facility off the coast of Newport could be kicking out its first volts of electricity as companies begin testing devices capable of harnessing the powerful wave energy.
The region’s largest power transmitter, the federal Bonneville Power Administration, will be the lone customer for that emissions-free energy. In a recent agreement with PacWave — OSU’s test facility developed in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy and the state of Oregon — BPA agreed to buy all power generated at the site, which is licensed to produce up to 20 megawatts of electricity per hour, enough to power several thousand homes.
Dan Hellin, director of PacWave, said it’s unlikely the facility will get close to that output as companies test nascent wave energy technology, but it will help the center and the experimental companies gin up a bit of revenue and appeal to investors…