What:
Oregon Wave Energy Trust and its partner, Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center have begun negotiations with a team led by the European Marine Energy Centre to provide a Development Plan for a grid connected ocean energy test facility; the Pacific Marine Energy Center.

Who:
Oregon Wave Energy Trust (OWET)
OWET – with members from fishing and environmental groups, industry and government – is a nonprofit public-private partnership funded by the Oregon Innovation Council since 2007. Its mission is to promote the responsible development of ocean energy in Oregon. We serve as a connector for all stakeholders involved in wave energy project development – from research and development to early stage community engagement, final deployment and energy generation and job creation – positioning Oregon as the North America leader in this nascent industry and delivering its full economic and environmental potential for the state. OWET’s goal is power two Oregon communities with ocean energy by 2025. www.oregonwave.org

Northwest National Marine Renewal Energy Center (NNMREC)
OSU is home to the NNMREC, one of only three federally sponsored ocean energy centers. NNMREC is a partnership between OSU and University of Washington and serves as an integrated, standardized test Center for US and international developers of wave and tidal energy, where OSU is focused on wave energy and UW is focused on tidal energy. NNMREC’s mission is to facilitate commercialization of marine energy technology, to inform regulatory and policy decisions, and to close key gaps in scientific understanding with a focus on student growth and development. OSU is a leader in interdisciplinary research and development of marine energy with world-class faculty and testing facilities. OSU currently provides testing of small-scale models in laboratory facilities to mid-scale prototypes in real ocean conditions and is now seeking to develop the full-scale, grid connected test capabilities. www. nnmrec.oregonstate.edu

Why:
The absence of standardized testing facilities has been identified as a key barrier to the development of the marine energy industry. Oregon is uniquely poised to fill the testing needs of the industry with its tremendous ocean energy resource, available infrastructure, technical expertise and political support. OWET and NNMREC are working together to develop a world class, grid connected ocean energy test facility that would be mutually beneficial to each other, the state of Oregon and the marine renewable energy industry.

More:
Project details and timeline will be available when the contract between EMEC and OWET/NNMREC is finalized. Information about partner organizations follows.

Pacific Marine Energy Center (PMEC) will be designed to demonstrate the viability of marine energy off the northwest coast of the US by providing a fully functional ocean test facility for prototype and commercial scale devices. At full build-out, PMEC will offer up to four test berths connected to the regional grid, each with the capacity of testing devices up to one megawatt in size. By offering numerous device-testing options in conjunction with transmission and grid interconnection infrastructure, PMEC will facilitate wave energy technologies’ progress from early-stage ocean testing through final demonstration for commercialization use. Specifically, the PMEC will meet the following key industry development needs:

• Site for testing devices with grid simulation capability;
• Ocean test berth for single device testing;
• Multiple-berth device testing (i.e., small arrays of 2 to 10 devices with combined output of 1-2MW each) for commercial scale devices and prototypes; and
• Opportunity for future potential expansion to commercial activity.

European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC)
Established in 2003, The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) Ltd is the first centre of its kind offering developers of wave and tidal energy converters independently accredited, purpose-built test facilities, in the world-renowned marine conditions of Orkney, Scotland. With 14 full-scale grid-connected test berths, it is home to some of the most innovative marine energy devices currently in development, with more full-scale devices having been tested at EMEC than at any other single site in the world. With this unrivalled knowledge and experience, the Centre is uniquely placed to provide consultancy on the design, set up and operation of marine energy test centres and has already formed alliances with Canada, China and Japan. EMEC also offers nursery testing facilities for smaller scale wave and tidal devices, independent verification of device performance, a wide range of consultancy and research services, and is at the forefront in the development of international standards for marine renewable energy. The Centre has been established with around £30 million of funding from the Scottish Government, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the Carbon Trust, the UK Government, Scottish Enterprise, the European Union and Orkney Islands Council. www.emec.org.uk

EMEC will partner with:

Aquatera
Aquatera are global specialists in ocean energy and have previously worked for OWET on a framework for the consideration of cumulative effects from wave energy and other developments in Oregon’s ocean waters. With a home base in Orkney, Scotland, next to EMEC, Aquatera have: completed over 200 ocean energy related projects; connected with 15 countries; helping over 20 ocean energy technology developers and 5 ocean energy project developers to try and achieve their goals. Aquatera has also worked with a number of communities, regions, agencies and governments to help them plan for, and map out pathways to, futures embracing sustainable ocean energy. In this project Aquatera will be using their unique RADMAPP tool to help inform and validate site selection and will also provide input about possible issues, impacts and opportunities based upon their operational experience from around the globe. www.aquatera.co.uk

Ecology and Environment
Ecology and Environment, Inc. (E & E) has extensive experience conducting siting, environmental analyses, and permitting for offshore energy projects worldwide, including wind farms, wave energy converters, LNG terminals, deepwater ports, FPSOs, and subsea pipeline and electrical transmission cables. E & E has been actively engaged in the development of marine renew¬able energy policies and regulations by the DOI’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission since the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. We have been diligent in forging strong working relationships with these federal commenting agencies, Oregon state regulators, and local communities. Working from our Portland, Oregon office, we bring in-depth and proven experience in incorporating principles of marine spatial planning into permitting cable facilities and marine renewable energy projects with both federal and state agency jurisdiction. www.ene.com

Read the full proclamation here or for more information about Oregon Wave Energy Trust and the Ocean Renewable Energy Conference VI, visit www.oregonwave.org.

Proclamation Commemorates Oregon’s Commitment to Responsibly Develop Wave Energy Industry

On August 3^rd and 4^th, 2011, international and national leaders in ocean energy development will visit Oregon to attend the sixth annual Oregon Wave Energy Trust Ocean Renewable Energy Conference in Portland, Oregon at the Oregon Convention Center.

Ocean energy is a young sector within the renewable energy industry that offers Oregon an opportunity to deepen its portfolio of sustainable assets and raise its profile as a hub of next-generation solutions to global energy needs.

Read the full proclamation here or for more information about Oregon Wave Energy Trust and the Ocean Renewable Energy Conference VI, visit www.oregonwave.org

Sponsors for the sixth annual Ocean Renewable Energy Conference include SAIC, Oregon State University, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), David Evans and Associates, Oregon Iron Works, and Portland General Electric.

Oregon Wave Energy Trust (OWET) has announced program highlights for the Ocean Renewable Energy Conference, including sessions on: Oregon’s Vision for Ocean Energy, Efficient and Effective Ocean Renewable Energy Siting and Permitting, Support, Conflicts and Opportunities for Ocean Renewable Energy and Efforts and Policies to Resolve Regulatory and Permitting Issues.

The sixth annual Ocean Renewable Energy Conference will be held August 3 – 4, 2011, at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon. 

This year’s conference will provide a focus on Oregon’s efforts to cooperate internationally and lead the United States in the responsible development of wave energy – emphasizing a collaborative approach to getting projects in the water.

“Oregon has important elements the wave energy industry needs to develop and grow. This year’s conference will include updates on the region’s current wave energy projects and OWET’s efforts to realize the economic potential the industry represents for the state,” said Jason Busch, executive director, Oregon Wave Energy Trust.

Community leaders, developers, utilities, state and federal regulators, and guests from around the world who are working together to create a national – and international – model for ocean energy development will attend.

Sessions Include:

• Global Context: Oregon’s Vision for Ocean Energy
• Ocean Renewable Energy: Support, Conflicts and Opportunities
• Efforts and Policies to Resolve Regulatory and Permitting Issues
• Towards Efficient and Effective Ocean Renewable Energy Siting and Permitting
• Financing Ocean Energy: Where is the Money?
• State and Federal Opportunities for a Coordinated Approach to Developing Ocean Energy in the Outer Continental Shelf
• Emerging Issues for Ocean Energy

Sponsors for the sixth annual Ocean Renewable Energy Conference include SAIC, Oregon State University, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), David Evans and Associates, Oregon Iron Works, and Portland General Electric.

For more information about Oregon Wave Energy Trust (OWET) and Ocean Renewable Energy Conference VI, please visit www.oregonwave.org.

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Oregon Wave Energy Trust (OWET) announced today that the week of the EnergyOcean Pacific Conference & Exhibition, which is co-located with OWET’s 5th Annual Ocean Renewable Energy Conference, has been proclaimed Ocean Renewable Energy Week by Governor Ted Kulongoski. Both events will be held September 29 & 30, 2010 in Portland, Oregon at the Doubletree Hotel.

Download the full release (PDF)

PORTLAND, Oregon, May 21, 2010 – Oregon Wave Energy Trust (OWET) announced today that it will provide a matching grant to any successful applicant to the Department of Energy’s recent Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), who performs a significant portion of their proposed DOE project in Oregon. The OWET matching grant will be equal to 20 percent of the DOE grant, up to $100,000.

The OWET matching grant program is intended to supplement the Department of Energy’s recent FOA (number DE-FOA-0000293), which has made up to $38,000,000 available over the next three years for marine hydrokinetic research and development. OWET hopes to improve the chances of Oregon’s homegrown wave industry, as well as attract companies from other parts of the country and world.

In total, $400,000 is available for the OWET matching grant program. Recipients will receive a commitment letter from OWET that the recipient can provide to the DOE. The OWET matching grant funds will be dependent upon the applicant successfully receiving an award from the DOE.

For more information about the Industry Matching Grant Program or to download a copy of the RFP, please visit the RFP page on our Web site. OWET encourages interested parties to contact OWET at info@oregonwave.org. The solicitation process is now open and closes June 7, 2010.

Download the release (PDF)