Oregon wave energy project gets federal go-ahead

Federal energy regulators gave Oregon State University the go-ahead Monday for a groundbreaking wave energy testing facility off the coast of the state.

The PacWave South project is designed to facilitate and speed up the development of wave energy technology, which harnesses the motion of the ocean to generate electricity. Oregon is considered to have a high potential for wave energy generation – much higher by coastal area than Washington or California. The Oregon Department of Energy says near-shore wave energy project alone have the potential to power 28 million homes annually.