The Cal Poly Pier is set to become a wave energy testing site.
According to Cal Poly officials, a new partnership has been established to enhance and support innovative wave energy technologies at the Cal Poly Pier.
Dr. Benjamin Ruttenberg, the Center for Coastal Marine Sciences Director at Cal Poly, says the pier will offer companies or organizations the opportunity to test technology through something called the TEAMER network.
“This is a network that has a series of facilities across the country that allow companies and organizations that are interested in developing marine energy devices like wave and tidal energy, and other marine technology that are not ready for fully ready for commercialization, to test them,” Ruttenberg said.
He says the U.S. Department of Energy will fund the program. The non-profit Pacific Energy Trust will review a company or organization's application to use their technology at the Cal Poly Pier.
“You know, this is part of the broader blue economy work that we are doing, thinking about ways that the oceans can be solutions to climate change,” Ruttenberg said.
Cal Poly students who work at the Cal Poly Pier say it has made a positive impact on their education.
“Being able to work out at the pier, I've started doing boat work and maintain the flowing seawater system there,” said Marshall Rottier Johnson, Cal Poly Marine Science student. “It's more than I ever could have imagined."
“You see science communication within the community like SLO itself and the community that's on campus as well within the students,” said Sasha Evans, Cal Poly Marine Science student. “So I love just learning about what everybody's doing.”
