Wave Power Potential:

A Whole New 'Cool'

for West Coast Surf Lovers

By Ron Ruggiero

Apollo News Service

April 14, 2010

If you mention “West Coast” and “waves” in the same sentence, most people think of tanned, Bermuda shorts-clad California surfers.

The work of Clackamas-based Oregon Iron Works (OIW) could change that in the coming years.

Oregon Iron Works is building the first-ever commercial wave energy system in North America. In December 2009, Ocean Power Technologies, a renewable energy company that specializes in wave-powered electricity generation, awarded Oregon Iron Works a contract to build buoys for its latest project off the coast of Reedsport, Oregon. Phase one of the project includes the production and installation of one “PowerBuoy,” while phase two includes an expected nine additional buoys that, when finished, will generate 1.5 megawatts of electricity.

Though today’s wind farms and solar arrays generate much more power than a small array of buoys, this project is an important stepping stone in the development of wave-power technology. According to David Gibson, project manager for Oregon Iron Works, “Wave energy is about where wind was 20 to 30 years ago. So, there will be a long curve in improvement as we develop wave systems. The United States is very good at innovation. This is an opportunity for us to step up and make an enormous contribution to the development of this new technology.”

Gibson’s excitement about the possibilities for wave-energy innovation doesn’t end there. He also sees enormous job potential: “As we develop this technology, we can export it. America can compete with China and India when it comes to products with highly sophisticated manufactured requirements.” Wave buoys meet that definition and thus present an opportunity to create highly paid manufacturing jobs, which, on average, pay $25,000 more per year than service sector jobs.

The economic opportunity inherent in manufacturing clean energy components is what led the Apollo Alliance to support the Investment in Manufacturing Progress and Clean Technology (IMPACT) Act, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown’s bill to help small and medium-sized manufacturers expand into the clean energy marketplace. The IMPACT Act would help states develop loan programs to help manufacturers like Oregon Iron Works retool or expand their operations to make clean energy products and components. Ingredients to Success The quality of its work—and its workforce—has long distinguished Oregon Iron Works.

“Without a doubt, the quality of the workforce was a significant factor in our decision to award the contract to OIW,” said Phil Pelligrino, vice president of business development for Ocean Power Technologies. As Oregon Iron Works produces the first PowerBuoy for commercial application in North America, quality work is important. OIW’s workforce is experienced, and most employees have been at the company long-term.

The company’s workforce is mostly unionized, represented by members of both the Ironworkers Local 516 and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 48. Chandra Brown, vice president of Oregon Iron Works, gushes about the company’s employees and refers to what their craftspeople do as “art.” The wave power project provides ample opportunities for employees to perform.

The first buoy will employ approximately 30 employees. Phase Two of the project will create approximately 180 jobs over two years. Oregon’s potential for wave power was another driving factor in Ocean Power Technologies’ choosing to site its first wave park in Oregon.

“Their wave front is among the best in the world. They have the most significant wave power you can find,” said Pelligrino when assessing Oregon’s unique advantages. According to the Renewable Northwest Project, “Oregon and Washington have the best wave energy resource in the lower 48 states…and could eventually generate several thousand megawatts from wave power.”

A steady stakeholder process was another reason that Oregon was an attractive location for the first commercial wave power development in North America. Several years ago, when wave power was first under consideration, the Oregon Solutions process brought together a host of stakeholders to discuss bringing wave power to the state. Oregon Solutions was created by the Oregon State Legislature, and a specific team was convened for the Reedsport project at the request of the governor. For Ocean Power Technologies, the process was a significant help in building support, allaying concerns, and streamlining the permitting process.

Looking forward, Pelligrino said, “We very much look forward to working with all the stakeholders. This won’t be a snowball project. We want to work in a consultative and collaborative way, study impacts, and ensure environmental protection.” Although the first buoys off Oregon’s coast will be small in scale, when compared to wind, the generation potential of wave power is enormous. As noted by Bracken Hendricks and Jay Inslee in their book Apollo’s Fire, “There is enough wave energy in a section of our coastline ten miles wide by ten miles long to entirely supply California’s grid.” Other estimates note that wave power could supply over 10 percent of America’s electricity needs. As wave power reaches its full potential in the coming years, a new anthem, a la the Beach Boys, just might be needed.