Oregon Public Broadcasting

A young Oregon company is claiming to be the first on the West Coast to harvest electricity from ocean swells.  That's after a prototype wave energy buoy bobbed in the waves off Newport for four days.  Correspondent Tom Banse reports.

Columbia Power Technologies partnered with Oregon State University for this sea trial. 

They pronounce the performance of their four ton bright yellow buoy a “major success.”  Research engineer Joe Prudell says the experimental model generated more than enough juice to light a typical home.

Joe Prudull: “We were able to harness a lot of electricity, a few power spikes that were more than anticipated, which was excellent to see.”

Columbia Power Technologies says it can now move to scaling the buoy up to a size that would make sense for a utility.

A different renewable energy company is likely to put the nation’s first commercial wave energy farm in the water. It’s slated for Makah Bay, on the northwest tip of Washington State.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Dept. of Energy is showering millions of dollars on OSU and the University of Washington to help the fledgling industry perfect its wave and tidal power generators.