Recently there has been a lot of talk about the potential of trying to harness the energy of the ocean and waves to meet some of the state’s energy needs. This conversation stems from Governor Carcieri’s desire to provide a significant portion of the state’s electricity using alternative, sustainable energy sources and reduce the state’s reliance on fossil fuels. See the recent article in the Providence Journal.
Representatives from the RI Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation met with officials from Oceanlinx (formerly Energetech), the Australian-based company that works with wave energy conversion, back in the late spring of 2004. At that point in time, there had been rumors circulating about the company looking to place a pilot wave attenuator off the breakwater of Point Judith. The RI Chapter had initial concerns about the placement of the pilot project, its potential impacts on the wave resource, and other environmental impacts. Since that time, the technology has completely changed and Oceanlinx has returned to RI with a renewed interest in harnessing RI’s wave energy.
The RI Chapter will continue to stay involved with this hot issue and seek out smart, environmentally-responsible solutions to our state’s energy needs. For more info on wave energy, click here. So what are your thoughts on the topic of wave energy?