The US offshore wind industry has been facing some headwinds of late, but that doesn’t mean it’s all over for the ocean energy field. Wave energy innovators have been lobbying for a seat at the offshore table in California, where they just won a key victory in the state legislature. That’s no surprise, but New Jersey could also become the next hotbed of activity for zero emission electricity from the sea, wind turbines or not.
However, there being no such thing as a free lunch, engineering a cost-effective wave energy device has proved to be an elusive target, at least until recently. Another three wave energy innovators — Dehlsen Associates, Integral Consulting, and Oscilla Power Inc. — will receive technology assistance from NREL, aimed at developing test-worthy prototypes for their designs.If all goes according to plan, wave energy will also join the Garden State’s roster of clean energy resources., legislation aimed at tapping into wave energy resources along the state’s 140-mile coastline.