Lockheed Martin to Build Wave Farm

Like Exxon, Lockheed Martin Corp. is not usually associated with environmental friendliness, but it can now be counted as another large corporation that has discovered that adding some green projects to their portfolio is both good for the planet and their bottom line.

Lockheed is partnering with wave power company Ocean Power Technologies to develop a utility-scale project off the coast of California or Oregon. Lockheed will construct and run the project while Ocean Power will provide its Powerbuoy generators.

This is the second big partnership for Ocean Power, which recently announced a contract with the Navy to harness wave energy for coastal military bases. The company already has Powerbuoys deployed in Hawaii, Spain and New Jersey, but Spain is its only commercial project to date. The Lockheed-Ocean Power project would be the first commercial wave farm in the U.S. A project planned for the California coast by Finavera Renewables is no longer being developed.

Lockheed is making a smart investment by getting into wave power. Oceans are considered to be one of the most powerful sources of energy on earth and studies have shown that harnessing that energy could power the world twice over.

via Earth2Tech

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The green skunk works?
written by Elepski, January 29, 2009

That would be cool... Lockheed is not a "energy" company... but actually a top think tank and uberhigh tech dev firm... so I think they look at this differently.... Where as Exxon and the like still see oil as the main product.. and the green tech is to save face, keep social validity or to placate the media... I could see some very advanced stuff coming from Lockheed... and they have the American facilities with the skills and clout to manufacture the wave generators.

This should be a priority.
written by Temujin Kuechle, January 29, 2009

Most large human populations are located along coastlines. There is a significant benefit to harnessing the power of the ocean for these large populations. Even though California has some wind and sunshine, it seems obvious that the Pacific Ocean could easily power the state with this type of technology. The advantage to this technology over wind and sunlight should be obvious, the ocean might slow in its intensity but it is constant, if it ever stops, then we have larger problems to deal with.

Skeptical
written by Matt in PA, February 01, 2009

I'd be happy to believe that these entities are interested in alternative energy research on its own merits, but am I the only person thinks that - given the parties involved - that there is more to these buoys than alterntive energy. Just guessing, but I would think a more likely explanation would be something along the lines of the wave energy being -- if not an out and out ruse -- just an efficient way of powering, and providing a thin cover for, a distributed passive sonar array.

f
written by sdf, February 04, 2009

Put two and two together - defense contractor sees way to sell stuff to the Navy. Bottom line.

Hydraulic Electric Power
written by Roy C, February 11, 2009

I agree with Skeptical. Hydro generated electric power is not a new idea and several (at quite a cost) the size of the one pictured would not even put a small dent in the electric needs of an area. They could however maybe power a sonar/weather station type device.

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written by Magnet Material, September 16, 2009

I'd be happy to believe

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written by wedding dresses, October 13, 2009

They could however maybe power a sonar/weather station type device.

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