Green Wave Energy Solutions LLC (Green Wave) has completed a 60 day comment period on its proposal to harvest wave power project earlier in January 2009. The project is located in 17 square miles of ocean a couple miles off Montana de Oro State Park on California's Central Coast. As per the Green Wave’s application, around 100 megawatts of power would be produced, enough power to supply 90,000 homes.
According to industry trade publications, the size of the system would have to be hugely overbuilt to generate that much electricity in such a punishing environment.
Presently, prototype wave harvesters off Oregon, Washington, Hawaii and Portugal are generating two to three megawatts of power.
We’re one of the few (wave energy companies) that have received a 60-day comment period,” Wayne Burkamp, president of Green Wave said. “If it moves to the next level, we’ll get a temporary permit, then take a couple of years to get our project together.”
“Right now devices aren’t capable of producing that power,” Burkamp said, “but manufacturers are coming up with new technology. At some point, the production of wave power will become competitively priced.”