The California legislative initiative is the second bill introduced in the U.S. focused on exploring and implementing wave energy technology, showing the growing awareness to the significant potential of wave energy in the United States.
The introduction of California Senate Bill 605 – Wave and Tidal Energy – by California State Senator Steve Padilla of Chula Vista aims to promote and facilitate the development and growth of wave energy in the state, which will help California reach its ambitious clean energy goals.
The bill, introduced by State Senator Padilla on 15 February, calls for a comprehensive and collaborative study to “evaluate the feasibility and benefits of using wave energy and tidal energy”. It also requires the state’s Energy Commission to develop a strategic plan for the deployment of wave and tidal energy technologies, infrastructure, and facilities.
SB 605 recognises the vast benefits that wave energy provides, saying that if developed and deployed at scale, wave and tidal energy “can provide economic and environmental benefits to the state and the nation”. Further, it also notes that ocean energy represents the “third largest source of renewable energy and the largest source of underutilised renewable energy”.
The bill states:
“California has set ambitious clean energy targets on the path to carbon neutrality by 2045, but the need for more clean energy is immediate. Wave and tidal energy, or hydrokinetic energy, has the potential to provide that energy in a more expedited fashion as blue economy innovators in California are now looking to bring the technology to scale.”
SB 605 is the second bill introduced focused on exploring wave energy technology in the past year. In March 2022, New Jersey Assemblyman Robert Karabinchak introduced legislation that would require the state of New Jersey to add wave energy to New Jersey’s energy master plan and provide funding for feasibility studies and pilot programs. The bill is currently in the State Senate Environment & Energy Committee and will be brought before the committee in the coming weeks.
Eco Wave Power Founder and CEO Inna Braverman said according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, wave energy has the potential to provide up to 66 per cent of the United States’ energy needs, and with California’s 840-mile coastline, it is an ideal location to explore the technology.
“Wave energy provides not only clean energy, but it also creates clean jobs that will stimulate the local economy for years to come,” said Braverman. “We are pleased to see progress and look forward to more states following California and New Jersey’s lead.”
In January 2023, Eco Wave Power unveiled what is believed to be the first-ever onshore wave energy unit in the United States, at AltaSea’s premises in the Port of Los Angeles. Last year, Eco Wave Power entered into an agreement with AltaSea to implement a first of its kind wave energy pilot at AltaSea’s premises at the Port of Los Angeles. In just over a year, Eco Wave Power successfully modified, upgraded, and transported the conversion unit to Los Angeles. The project’s timeline showcases another benefit of Eco Wave Power’s patented technology – its ability to be easily transported and replicated to fit the energy needs of a country’s coastline.
