U.S. DOE funds wave energy research center off the coast of the Pacific Northwest

September 27, 2018 | Case Study

Up until now, renewable energy commercialization and deployment has been focused around solar and wind. However, these resources are not the only available sources of renewable electricity: The waves and tides of the ocean can also be harvested for emission-free generation. Marine energy technologies are in early-stage development status, with the majority of deployments being pilot-only, the point at which solar and wind were decades ago. Similar to these more mature technologies, marine energy startups will need government support to move from high-cost prototypes to megawatt-scale commercial installations. Europe has led the way with its European Marine Energy Center (EMEC) based off the coast of Scotland that has been host to a number of pilot projects, but the U.S. will now launch its own research center in the Pacific Northwest that will have a specific focus on wave energy.