Historic wave and tidal energy legislation presented for California

The California Senate Bill 605 for wave and tidal energy, introduced by senator Steve Padilla of Chula Vista, aims to promote and facilitate the development and growth of marine energy industry in California.

The bill, introduced by senator Padilla on February 15, 2023, calls for a comprehensive and collaborative study to evaluate the feasibility and benefits of using wave energy and tidal energy.

It also requires the state’s Energy Commission to develop a strategic plan for the deployment of wave and tidal energy technologies, infrastructure, and facilities.

The SB 605 bill recognizes the vast benefits that marine energy provides, saying that if developed and deployed at scale, wave and tidal energy ‘can provide economic and environmental benefits to the state and the nation’.

Further, it also notes that ocean energy represents the third largest source of renewable energy and the largest source of underutilized renewable energy.

The SB 605 is the second bill focused on exploring wave energy technology introduced in the past year in the US.

In March 2022, New Jersey assemblyman Robert Karabinchak introduced legislation that would require the state of New Jersey to add wave energy to its energy master plan and provide funding for feasibility studies and pilot programs.

The bill is currently in the State Senate Environment & Energy Committee and will be brought before the committee in the coming weeks.

Welcoming the initiative, Inna Braverman, CEO  and founder of Eco Wave Power, said: “We are pleased to see that wave energy is gaining momentum in California – one of the foremost world leaders in finding innovative solutions to climate change.

“According to the US Energy Information Administration, wave energy has the potential to provide up to 66% of the United States’ energy needs, and with California’s 840-mile coastline and our upcoming project at AltaSea in the Port of Los Angeles, California is an ideal location to explore this innovative technology.”

To remind, Eco Wave Power unveiled what is believed to be the first-ever onshore wave energy unit in the United States, at AltaSea’s premises in the Port of Los Angeles early in 2023.

“Wave energy provides not only clean energy, but it also creates clean jobs that will stimulate the local economy for years to come. We are pleased to see progress and look forward to more states following California and New Jersey’s lead,” Braverman concluded.

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