First US wave-energy project scheduled for October launch

New York Times : A New Jersey company, Ocean Power Technologies , has designed the first commercially licensed grid-connected wave-energy device in the US. Scheduled to be launched in October, the 260-ton computer-equipped buoy will “test the waters” off the coast of Reedsport, Oregon. “All eyes are on the buoy,” said Jason Busch, executive director of the Oregon Wave Energy Trust . Wave technology is still in its infancy, so project designs vary greatly: “Some are on the seabed on the ocean floor, some are in the water column, some are sitting on the surface, some project up from the surface into the atmosphere,” according to Paul Klarin, of the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development . To allay environmental concerns about the current project, the company has designed the buoys to use no hydraulic fluids, which can contaminate the water, and Oregon is in the process of mapping out the best positions for the devices, to avoid conflicts with fishing, crabbing, and other marine uses.