OSU professor to discuss wave energy

Dr. Ted Brekken of Oregon State University will be discussing “The Promise of Wave Power” for the next installment of the Southwestern Oregon Community College Geology Lecture Series at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 1, in the Hales Center for the Performing Arts on the Coos Bay campus.

Brekken is Assistant Professor in Energy Systems Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and the co-director of the Wallace Energy Systems and Renewables facility – the highest powered university-based Energy Systems Lab in the United States – at Oregon State. Brekken earned baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Minnesota and studied electric vehicle motor design at Postech in Pohang, South Korea. He also studied wind turbine control at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway, on a Fullbright Scholarship.

A significant untapped renewable energy source exists in the world’s oceans. It is estimated that if 0.2 percent of the oceans’ untapped energy could be harnessed, it could provide power sufficient for the entire world. This presentation discusses the opportunities for ocean wave power to become a new, reliable and clean source of affordable renewable energy. Wave energy research and developments at Oregon State University will be presented, in addition to the developing opportunities for the state of Oregon to become a leader in wave power.

The talk is free and open to the community. The Geology Lecture Series is sponsored by Methane Energy Corporation, Oregon Resources Corporation and the Southwestern Oregon Community College Foundation. For more information, those interested can contact Ron Metzger at 888-7216 or rmetzger@socc.edu.

Press Release Date: February 07, 2008