The California State Senate unanimously passed a bill that aims to put the state on a path toward developing wave and tidal energy as a new renewable energy source that will help meet its zero-carbon goals while bolstering the power grid.
The bill, SB 605 by Senator Steve Padilla (D-Chula Vista), directs the California Energy Commission to work with appropriate state agencies to study the feasibility and potential for wave and tidal energy development in California, and sets deadlines for reporting its findings to the Legislature and the Governor.
SB 605 states that if developed and implemented at scale, offshore tidal and wave energy they have the potential to provide economic and environmental benefits to the state and the nation.
Still, the measure acknowledges the potential impacts of tidal and wave energy development for species and ocean habitat.
“Onshore and offshore wave and tidal energy must be developed in a way that protects coastal and marine ecosystems. The state shall use its authority under state programs and policies to ensure the prevention, minimization, and mitigation of significant adverse impacts and the monitoring and adaptive management for offshore tidal and wave energy projects and their associated infrastructure.” says the bill.
The Senate passed SB 605 by consent, meaning it had unanimous bipartisan support. The bill now goes to the Assembly for consideration.
Wave and tidal industry applauds California’s ‘quick action’
terry tamminenPresident and CEO of AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles, in previous testimony before Senate policy committees, said: “We need to continue to innovate the policies, technologies and financing of new clean and renewable energy sources for our state if we hope to achieve our ambitious goals of clean air and a climate resilient economy.
“This important step would put California on the path to becoming a world leader in ocean energy and developing this untapped source of clean, resilient, abundant and renewable energy.”
Tamminen is the former secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency and the top environmental policy adviser to then-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
AltaSea, a nonprofit organization located on a 35-acre campus in the Port of Los Angeles, is dedicated to scientific and educational collaboration to advance California’s flourishing sustainable blue economy through innovative technologies, business, and development initiatives. of the workforce, is the sponsor of SB 605.
marcus lehmanCEO and co-founder of CalWave Power Technologies, Oakland-based wave energy company, sad: “The Senate’s approval of SB 605 is an important step in the development of an energy resource that has great potential.
“CalWave successfully completed a 10-month wave energy pilot project off the California coast, demonstrating the technology’s performance, reliability, and environmental acceptability.
“The Legislature’s partnership in wave and tidal energy development offers an important opportunity to support the industry in scaling up production, creating local jobs and energy security.”
Inna Bravermanco-founder and CEO of Eco Wave Power, a Swedish-Israeli company with a pilot project at AltaSea, hailed the passage of SB 605 in the Senate.
“I am very pleased that California is moving quickly to implement this landmark legislation that will bring wave power to California. Wave power is the largest untapped source of clean energy, and its widespread implementation in California will have a huge positive impact, both environmental and economic, creating a steady stream of clean jobs through manufacturing, transportation, construction, engineering and others. areas,” brave saying.
The Biden Administration is counting on wave and tidal power to help the US achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and has invested millions in its development. However, California has yet to tap into this abundant source of energy that has less variability than other forms of renewable energy such as solar and wind.
It is worth noting that the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) found that wave and tidal energy have the technical feasibility of supplying 30% of the nation’s energy needs. The NREL report also found that California’s outer continental shelf has the potential wave energy resources to power 13 million California homes.
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