Wave Energy in Oregon

Oregon is moving forward with plans for the nation’s first commercial wave energy station. The buoy test system will be built off the coast of Reedsport. It will connect to a Bonneville Power Administration substation.

Once fully deployed, the system is expected to have a capacity of 1.5 megawatts.

New Jersey based Ocean Power Technologies has contracted with Oregon Iron Works to build the $60 million system.
The first buoy is expected to deploy in a year. Ocean Power hopes to eventually have a total of ten in the water. The company is also developing a much larger wave farm nearby that could have as many as 200 buoys.

Coca Cola Goes HFC Free

Coca-cola is going hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) free. The beverage giant says by 2015 all its vending machines and coolers will have HFC free technology.

The new equipment emits 99 percent fewer greenhouse gases. HFC’s have been shown to affect the ozone layer.

Coke says because of its new commitment, a major cooler supplier plans to build a dedicated CO2 compressor production facility. Carbon dioxide as a refrigerant is over 1,400 times less damaging to the climate than typical HFC’s.