The Oregon Wave Energy Trust UMI aims to connect up utilities in the Nortwest to the wave energy potential in Oregon waters

Utilities in the Northwest are being offered a new guidance tool to help integrate wave energy projects into the grid.

The Utility Market Initiative (UMI) was unveiled yesterday by the Oregon Wave Energy Trust, a non-profit public-private partnership set up by the Oregon Innovation Council to support wave energy development in the state.

The Trust has been working with renewable energy consultancy Pacific Energy Ventures on the project, which offers utilities strategies and technical tools to help connect wave energy projects into the electricity network.

The Trust said its UMI would highlight the resource potential of wave energy for utilities in the Northwest region, and the “significant role” it could play in Oregon’s economy and energy sector.

“Consistent and predictable”

The Oregon Wave Energy Trust said wave energy would be an “attractive alternative” in the area for utilities because of its “consistent and predictable” power generation.

Its UMI report offers ways to address technical and business issues facing utilities and wave energy pioneers, including utility engagement, resource potential, business protocols and grid integration tools, the Trust said.

As well as a detailed analysis of Oregon’s wave resources, the UMI offers an overview of wave energy technology options and an idea of the potential value of wave energy in Oregon. It also looks into grid integration issues like scheduling, forecasting and telemetry among other key topics.

For developers new to Oregon, the Trust said its UMI would provide information on the state’s energy marketplace and key policy and technical drivers. The report provides an overview of Oregon utilities and a summary of business protocols and financial incentives available.

Justin Klure, partner at Pacific Energy Ventures, said: “Overall, the UMI report will help utilities, developers, and policy makers to understand the attributes and limitations of the Northwest utility system and how best to develop early projects and offer guidance in long term planning for the industry.”

Oregon is currently the location of a 1.5 megawatt wave energy project being developed by New Jersey firm Ocean Power Technologies, which would see 10 of the company’s 150-kilowatt PowerBuoy devices put in the water by Reedsport.

The company also has plans in the longer term for a much larger project in Coos Bay, Oregon, which could be up to 100MW in scale.

The Oregon Wave Energy Trust said the information in its UMI report would be “crucial” for the wave energy industry to progress from pilot to commercial scale projects in the area.

Jason Busch, executive director at the Oregon Wave Energy Trust, said: “OWET is excited that the UMI report is complete and available as a resource to utilities, developers, and the general public.”

• The UMI report is available at the Oregon Wave Energy Trust website.