California Exploring Wave Energy Possibilities

Wave energy and California would seem to be a perfect match. After all, this is where surfing is huge. Despite this, California is only now really exploring wave energy as a power source.

Surfing is an interesting sport. Learning to surf can be very frustrating. You fall to the left. You fall to the right. You fall off the front. You fall off the back. Just when you are about to give up…you catch a wave. You feel what every surfer feels…the power of the wave lifting your board up gently and moving it forward. Even the smallest waves can give you this sensation. Given the fact surfing is huge in California, it is somewhat odd that nobody has given much thought to using it as a power resource. At least until now.


Pacific Gas & Electric has applied for a permit to study the viability of wave energy in California. The target location is in the Santa Barbara area. No, not in front of the city. Instead, the utility wants to work with Vandenberg Air Force Base to study the viability of the energy platform in the water off the coast of the base. As you might imagine, the base is interested in moving forward with the idea as well.

The viability of wave energy as a practical platform is difficult to ascertain. There are no working wave energy platforms in the world as of the writing of this article. The possibilities, however, are staggering. Take California as an example. It has over 700 miles of shoreline. The strategic placement of wave machines would produce enough electricity to provide 25 percent of the power needs of the state. That’s a big chunk for an economy that is one of the top 10 in the world.



So, is this going to be a part of the energy production portfolio in California? Yes and no. Yes, it eventually will because there is simply too much of an opportunity to pass up on. No it won’t in the short term because there simply isn’t a viable platform that can be used to produce energy at this point in time. So, how long of a development period are we looking at? The best estimate is 10 to 20 years before we see California tapping this huge energy source.

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