Making a Splash: PG&E Dives Headlong Into Wave Power Project (Calif.)

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2010/05/making-a-splash-pg-e-dives-headlong-into-wave-power-project

Drawing power from the churning sea can seem as difficult as finding Kraken the mythical sea monster. Despite tales of successful trials and imminent commercialization, the wave power industry remains largely in the research and development stages. But a utility-backed project in California could help propel this class of technology into a reliable supply of energy.

The Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) recently filed a federal application to build a 5-megawatt (MW) project about three miles off the coast of Humboldt County in Northern California. The utility plans to select three to four wave energy converter device makers for the 5-year project, which PG&E considers a pilot effort to test different types of technologies, said Jana Morris, a PG&E spokeswoman. (See list of companies that responded to PG&E's Wave Energy Converter System Request for Information (RFI) here.)

“Studying wave energy is important for California’s future,” Morris said. “Renewable and clean energy is not only what our customers want but it’s the thing for the environment.”

The utility’s involvement is a big boost for wave power technology developers, many of whom have struggled to overcome technical problems or raise enough capital for their projects. Scotland-based Pelamis Wave Power suffered a major setback when its devices stopped working off the coast of Portugal in late 2008, and the company saw the departure of its CEO last year. Canada-based Finavera Renewables surrendered its federal license to build a project off the state of Washington last year, citing a difficulty in finding financing.

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The one thing in earth that is so powerful and so reliable is the tides and wave action.
So, why are we still not using this force of nature?

Glad to see they are "experimenting" with it. Finally!