US Company Heads For the Coast

An American energy company plans to become the first in the US to produce wave-generated electricity.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) plans to generate power using eight buoys, positioned 2.5 miles off the coast of California, for every year beginning in 2012.

A pump inside the buoy, built by Vancouver-based Finavera Renewables, generates electricity through the bobbing movements of the buoys.

An underwater power line will transfer the energy from the buoys to the mainland.

It is expected the power generated will be enough for up to 1,500 homes, displacing 245t of carbon dioxide emissions.

The approval process will involve local and federal agencies, and environmental studies will assess how the project will affect local marine habitats and mammal migration routes.

PG&E takes 12 percent of its power from renewable sources and plans to increase this to 20 percent by 2010.

It has recently signed deals to use 177MW of solar thermal power and 150MW of wind power.

By Tim McAtackney