U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., center, makes opening comments during a Wave Energy Roundtable held May 29 at Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center (HMSC). Kaety Hildenbrand, left, from Oregon Sea Grant, who served as facilitator, and George Boehlert, right, director of HMSC, were among the participants as Merkley gleaned a “Cliff’s Notes” perspective of the various aspects of wave energy issues along the Oregon coast. (Photo by Terry Dillman)

Discussion with Merkley sheds light on possibilities, issues



Harnessing ocean motion by converting wave energy into electricity is a viable part of Oregon’s renewable energy portfolio, and could help lead the state and the nation toward a clean energy economy.

“Wave energy has serious potential to become a huge clean energy source for the Oregon coast, and help boost the local economy,” said U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore. “But it has to be developed in partnership with local communities, and in a manner that is in harmony with the fishing industry and other coastal ecosystems.”

Merkley’s comment followed in the wake of a May 29 Wave Energy Roundtable in Guin Library at Oregon State University’s (OSU) Hatfield Marine Science Center (HMSC).

During a question-and-answer parlay with researchers, industry experts, government agency representatives, and others, Merkley received an overview of the intricate connections involved in pursuing wave energy projects in Oregon’s territorial sea - and beyond. Kaety Hildenbrand, from Oregon Sea Grant, facilitated the session, which offered viewpoints on the policy and planning, research, stakeholder, and business aspects of wave energy.



Different strokes



The panel included Paul Klarin, marine affairs coordinator for Oregon’s Department of Land Conservation and Development; Robert Paasch, director of the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center (NWNMREC) at HMSC; Merrick Haller, assistant professor of coastal and ocean engineering at OSU; HMSC director George Boehlert; Bob Eder, vice chair of Lincoln County’s Fishermen Involved in Natural Energy (FINE) committee, and fishing representative for Oregon Wave Energy Trust (OWET); Robin Hartmann, ocean program director for Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition; Nick Furman, representing the Southern Oregon Ocean Resource Coalition (SOORC) and the Dungeness crab industry; Pat Ashby from Tillamook Intergovernmental Development Entity (TIDE) and Tillamook PUD; Chris Chandler from Central Lincoln PUD; Ken Rhinefrank from Columbia Power Technologies; and Len Bergstein from Ocean Power Technologies.

Each took five minutes or less to provide Merkley with a quick synopsis of wave energy possibilities and concerns from their unique perspectives, and responded to questions as the discussion unfolded.



Policy and planning



Klarin noted how the process has morphed from “unsettled, uncertain, and untested” in 2007 toward the current less unsettled, less uncertain, and more tested condition.

When the technology and ideas for establishing wave energy projects first emerged along the Oregon coast, the “alphabet soup” of state and federal agencies with jurisdiction over particular sections of the ocean, along with their overlapping and interconnected responsibilities, proved a daunting mishmash of “who did what when.” A state versus federal conflict erupted over who provided oversight and had say over who, what, where, when, and how to site a project based on an as-yet mostly untested process, at least on the open ocean.

Klarin also noted the “wide array of technologies” out there, further complicating matters.

State and county officials also voiced concerns about what they viewed as a willy-nilly licensing procedure by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that allowed private enterprise to grab prime pieces of ocean real estate, and fence it off from other ocean uses. Since 2007, Oregon has signed a memorandum of understanding with FERC to bring some sanity to the licensing process, making it more selective.

Fitting wave energy into Oregon’s ocean policy is another priority.

An executive order from Gov. Ted Kulongoski charged the state’s Ocean Policy Advisory Council (OPAC) to develop a process to amend Oregon’s Territorial Sea Plan (TSP) to reflect the new realities ushered in by the focus on wave energy. The draft amendment is due by December, and OPAC members were scheduled to discuss the latest iteration during their June 8 session in Salem.

“We have a preference in our policy for preserving living resources,” said Klarin. “The fishery is a top priority.”

While state agencies and authorities “operate together pretty well,” Klarin said the ship of state starts to take on water when dealing with all the federal agencies and “their different timelines and different expectations” in permitting pilot wave energy projects. It’s a difficult process that “is not well coordinated yet.” It is, however, navigating in the right direction, a good sign since policy drives process.



Research



Paasch, Boehlert, and Haller all noted the absolute necessity of research into the impacts of wave energy buoys, cables, anchors, and other equipment on the marine environment.

The Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center at HMSC is focused on establishing “a full range of capabilities to support wave and tidal energy development” for the nation. The main effort focused on building a mobile floating “berth” to test wave energy technology in pre-permitted test areas, as well as fund extensive environmental impact studies, community outreach, and other initiatives.

A mobile berth “gives us more flexibility,” said Paasch. “To figure out the impact on ocean habitats, we need to have devices in the water. Otherwise, we are just looking at potential impacts. We need to make decisions based on real science.”

Haller wants to study the physical impacts of wave energy buoys on waves, currents, and the shoreline. Boehlert said they must look at all “cumulative unintended effects” of wave energy equipment on the entire marine environment.



Stakeholders



Bob Eder said local groups have formed “up and down the coast, some with fishing interests, some broader-based,” immersing themselves in the wave energy process. A fishing mapping effort currently underway under the auspices of SOORC is vital, since - as Klarin pointed out - “we have huge data gaps in our oceans.” It aims to pinpoint prime fishing grounds in the hope of steering wave energy projects away from them.

“We’re not looking for compensation,” Eder noted. “We’re looking for careful planning. Fishermen are a little like cowboys looking at coming fences. Ocean zoning is tough to swallow.”

Hartmann said climate change is the real driving force behind renewable energy, since coal-based technology provides 40 percent of current power needs in Oregon. Exploring wave energy, however, “doesn’t make sense” until society is ready to deal with its other effects. Otherwise, it would merely extend impacts into the ocean. Hartmann advocated “the Oregon way” of using a pilot project, baseline studies, and monitoring, and making sure the understanding of ecological issues proceeds at the same pace as the technology.

Furman said they must look at ways “to minimize impacts on fishing fleets and traditional fishing grounds,” and have a plan in place should wave energy projects like the 200-buoy effort planned near Reedsport either prove unsuccessful, or the technology improves and requires replacement.



Industry



Ashby and Chandler said wave energy needs the proper means to transmit it, and transmission lines are not prolific along the coast, and cost $1 million per mile to place in the ocean.

“Transmission must parallel generation,” Ashby noted. Chandler said Central Lincoln PUD supports OSU’s wave energy research, and the technology would dovetail with PUD output, more than 90 percent of it generated without greenhouse gas emissions through hydro and wind sources.

Rhinefrank and Bergstein said their respective companies want to generate clean renewable energy, and harnessing just 20 percent of offshore wave energy at 50 percent efficiency could match all of the nation’s current hydroelectric generation combined. And Oregon’s ocean waves offer the density, availability, and predictability necessary for commercial success.

To get there and compete profitably with the rest of the world, Rhinefrank said they must have federal government support.

Bergstein said local and state support is just as vital. “It has to be done well, and it has to be coordinated,” he noted. “We want to do this in a responsible way.”



Wrap-up



“Wave energy has some challenges,” Merkley acknowledged, noting that it also presents “a real opportunity” to bring folks in coastal communities together to discuss the potential of tapping into wave energy projects “in a way that enhances coastal communities,” but doesn’t “disrupt or disturb successful parts of their economy.”



Terry Dillman is the assistant editor of the News-Times. Contact him at (541) 265-8571, ext 225, or terrydillman@newportnewstimes.com.