Oregon State University's PacWave South, a one-of-a-kind research facility critical to advancing the development of the wave energy industry, is officially open after more than 15 years of effort.
PacWave, located south of Newport on the Oregon Coast, is the first pre-permitted, grid-connected wave energy test site in the United States. Its completion was marked with an Aug. 27 ribbon-cutting celebration attended by about 150 people including OSU President Jayathi Murthy, U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici and Val Hoyle, state Rep. David Gomberg and Tim Ramsey of the U.S. Department of Energy.
President Murthy participates in the ribbon cutting at the new PacWave testing facility. Photo by Darryl Lai
"PacWave represents the culmination of more than 15 years of vision, determination and collaboration," President Murthy said during remarks at the event. "With a foundation of partnership engagement and use inspired discovery, PacWave represents the best of what Oregon State is all about: excellence in discovery, engagement and impact."
PacWave, which includes the grid-connected south site as well as a shallower north site that is not grid-connected, is supported primarily by the U.S. Department of Energy. The facility is critically needed to accelerate development and innovation across the marine energy industry, from addressing regulatory issues to device testing and commercialization.
There is no other U.S. facility where developers can test grid-connected marine energy devices at this scale while evaluating their performance and environmental effects in an open-ocean setting. OSU has led the more than 15-year effort to establish PacWave, building support and partnerships with federal, state, local and fishing industry leaders to advance the initiative. PacWave is also supporting research to better understand how wave energy technologies interact with the ocean environment and marine life.
The ribbon-cutting event included presentations on current research and tours of PacWave's Utility Connection and Monitoring Facility, located near Seal Rock. Power generated by devices testing at PacWave's open ocean testing facility 7 miles off the coast of Newport is transmitted via subsea cables back to land. It can be added to the local power grid at the UCMF.
"For over 15 years, we've talked about what PacWave will be. We can now stop talking about PacWave in the future tense," said PacWave Director Dan Hellin. "PacWave is built, PacWave is grid connected and PacWave is operational. Now the really fun part begins, which is actually putting this facility to work."
