Energy forum: "Making Waves: Harnessing the Ocean's Power"

CIRenew Wave Energy Forum at Cape Cod Community College

Making Waves: Harnessing the Ocean’s Power

WEST BARNSTABLE - Bill Staby of Resolute Marine Energy, is the featured speaker at a January 16 forum, sponsored by the Cape & Islands Renewable Energy Collaborative (CIRenew), addressing the worldwide status of wave energy technology and the potential for local applications.

The forum, scheduled from 7 to 9 pm in Lecture Hall C at Cape Cod Community College, is free and open to the public; light refreshments will be served.

Wave energy technologies convert the kinetic energy of ocean waves into clean power. In Europe, demonstration projects and initial commercial applications are under way. In the United States, tests have been conducted off the coasts of Hawaii, Oregon, and New Jersey, and plans were recently announced for a commercial wave energy project near Block Island in Rhode Island. A 2005 study by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) concluded that development of a large-scale wave energy facility off the Cape Cod National Seashore could prove economically feasible, assuming development of a worldwide experience base.

“Wave energy shapes our coast and could help power our future,” says Chris Powicki, principal of Water Energy & Ecology Information Services.

“Wave energy shapes our coast and could help power our future,” says Chris Powicki, principal of Water Energy & Ecology Information Services. “With EPRI funding, CIRenew participants are evaluating the technical and economic potential of wave and other options to support development of a Cape & Islands energy technology strategy. Building public awareness of emerging technologies is critical to their future application.”

At the January 16 CIRenew forum, Bill Staby will review wave energy, introduce the device being developed by his company, and discuss the technology’s potential across regional, national, and global scales. Bill is an entrepreneur with experience at both worldwide enterprises and technology start-ups. At CS First Boston, he focused on strategic and corporate finance advisory assignments for the electric utility industry. He is currently chief executive officer of Resolute Marine Energy and a member of the Finance Committee of the Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition in Washington, DC.

Resolute is developing and testing a wave energy conversion system with an initial commercial focus on powering ocean observation and other remote systems that have modest energy requirements. The technology is designed for scale-up to support large-scale, grid-connected, offshore energy applications. Resolute is based in Fall River at the Advanced Technology Manufacturing Center at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth.

The CIRenew forum will conclude with Q&A and time for conversation and networking. Information will be available on CIRenew membership and on local clean energy programs and activities.

For meeting information, contact Chris Powicki at 508.362.9599 or chrisp@weeinfo.com. For information on other upcoming events, check out the Sustainable Energy Calendar at www.cigogreen.org.