off the coast of Washington State. The project is called the Makah Bay Offshore Wave Pilot Project, and is described further, below. On March 27, 2008, FERC and the State of Oregon signed a Memorandum of Understanding to coordinate procedures and schedules for review of wave energy projects in state waters off the coast of Oregon. Finally, DoE is about to release $10 million in FY 2008 funds to support the advancement of water power technologies, to be allocated as follows: (1) $5 million for costsharing with industry to test new technologies; (2) $2.5 million for cost-sharing with universities to establish R&D centers; and (3) $2.5 million for market accelerator projects.5
Sustainable Prosperity Act establishing a goal of 20% from renewable sources of energy. Nova Scotia plans to take advantage of the great tidal sweeps of the Bay of Fundy to generate power for 100,000 nearby homes. New Zealand has set a goal to generate 90% of renewable electricity by 2025, including 250 MW of wave energy. New Zealand has also authorized 15% tax credits for R&D and appropriated $8M (NZ) for a Marine Energy Development Fund. The United Kingdom has created a $1.1 billion Energy Technology Institute to partner with companies to produce power from offshore wind, waves, and tides. These are just a few of the international initiatives taking advantage of marine sources of renewable energy. 6
Comparison to Other Countries' Marine Energy Initiatives
The U.S. lags behind Canada and a number of nations when it comes to the development of renewable marine resources. For example, Nova Scotia has passed a new
State of the U.S. Industry
One FERC project on the West Coast and one MMS project on the East Coast offer some insights into varying U.S. approaches to approving ocean energy projects, and, demonstrate how difficult it is to get these projects to the production stage. A lengthy exposition is beyond the scope of this article, so the comparison is of necessity brief. Additional information can be found on the web sites of the two agencies: www.ferc.gov and www.mms.gov. On December 20, 2007, FERC issued its first license for a hydrokinetic energy project, called the Makah Bay Offshore Pilot Project, to be located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Washington State. Under the license, Irishbased Finavera Renewables Inc., with the support of the Makah Indian Nation, was authorized to demonstrate the viability of a patented buoy-based system of wave energy technology. However, no construction was initially allowed pending receipt of all necessary federal and state approvals, including sign-off of the State coastal zone management agency. On March 20, 2008, FERC amended the license to allow construction of the project to proceed as the necessary conditions had been met. It has been much more difficult for the Cape Wind farm project to gain headway off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. In fact, the Cape Wind project has been bogged down in lengthy regulatory procedures, and downright political opposition. The Cape Wind project is intended to produce 468 Mw of energy from 130 wind turbine generators to be located four miles offshore Cape Cod, MA. MMS inherited the Cape Wind farm from the Army Corps of Engineers as a result of the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. MMS issued a Draft Environmental Impact Statement on Cape Wind in
June 2008
Technologies such as the SEADOG pump system, a system designed to harness wave power, are showing promise. (See related story on page 40) 38 MTR
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