Abstract
The Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center (NNMREC) was established through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Water Power Program to support wave and tidal energy development for the United States. NNMREC's suite of test facilities, collectively known as the Pacific Marine Energy Center (PMEC), provide a range of ocean renewable energy testing opportunities, from laboratory scale through open ocean testing. NNMREC at Oregon State University (OSU) currently provides non-grid connected wave energy testing off the coast of Oregon at PMEC North Energy Test Site (PMEC-NETS), and is now developing a utility scale grid connected wave test facility, the South Energy Test Site (SETS), the subject of this BOEM lease application. As the first of its kin in the continental North America, the PMEC-SETS will play an integral role in advancing wave energy from early-stage ocean testing through final demonstration for commercialization. PMEC-SETS will serve as an integrated test center to evaluate wave energy convert (WEC) performance and environmental interactions, as well as a training ground for future jobs in the ocean energy industry.