Oregon Sea Grant

Socioeconomic Impacts of Wave Energy Knowledge and Service Providers to Oregon

Research Summary Report, Prepared for Business Oregon, Winter 2022

Wave energy research and development has been ongoing in Oregon for at least two decades. Substantial interest started in the early 2000s, flattened in the 2010s, and is on the rise again. The Oregon wave energy sector recently experienced several sizable developments in 2020 and 2021, making this a critical moment to examine the status, trajectory, and socio-economic opportunities of the sector. Specifically, in what ways do the facilities and knowledge and service providers at Oregon State University (OSU) facilitate wave energy development in Oregon and beyond? Business Oregon funded a study to answer this timely question, through research that assessed and documented benefits and challenges from both the “supply-side” (providers of knowledge and services) and “demand-side” (consumers of this knowledge and these services), describing the pre-commercial stage of development and explained the current state and the trajectory of the wave energy sector in Oregon. Readers are encouraged to examine the full report to thoroughly understand the study.