Seeking Renewable Energy, Finding it in the Sea
OSU Graduate Student Ken Rhinefrank

Story Posted: Thu, Apr 12, 2007

By Bridgett Bailey

Ken Rhinefrank, a Harley-riding OSU graduate student in electrical engineering, already has years of experience with energy systems. As a nuclear reactor operator, technician, and supervisor in the U.S. Navy, he worked on two nuclear powered submarines. As an undergraduate at Oregon State University in 2003, he worked with a team of electrical and mechanical engineering students on a senior project that designed and built the school’s first wave energy buoy. This steered his interests away from wind power, which he had previously wanted to work with, toward a new source of energy: ocean wave generators.

Although Rhinefrank has nothing bad to say about any of the energy systems he has moved away from, he has changed his focus for a clearly defined reason: renewability. In his progression from nuclear power, to studying wind power as an undergraduate, to a graduate researching the relatively new field of ocean wave power, he has been pursuing ever-more efficient and environmentally sound sources of energy.

“Renewable energy is good for everyone as a whole,” he says.

Rhinefrank believes that renewable energy is more environmentally responsible as well as more cost-effective over time, but he does not think that any one source of power can fulfill all our energy needs, nor that any source of energy is completely free of environmental impact. He stresses that all sources of power require land and materials to operate, but those that make use of energy present in the environment generate little waste, require no fuel, and have lower operation costs.

As an OSU undergraduate, Rhinefrank focused his studies on wind turbines as a possible solution to Oregon’s growing need for energy sources. As a graduate student, Rhinefrank has learned about ocean wave technology from OSU professors Annette von Jouanne and the late Alan Wallace.

“It’s amazing to me that not much effort has been put into developing wave energy until the last five to ten years,” he says.

Although research has been done on wave generator technology since the 1970s, Rhinefrank says that it has not been promoted for widespread use to politicians because of a lack of awareness. One potential drawback with the technology is that wave generators would use the same space as fishermen use, and in Oregon, crabbers in particular have voiced their concerns.
Rhinefrank says that it is important to involve the community as a whole, especially at this early stage in planning. “That way issues don’t get out of hand,” Rhinefrank says. “They’re kept in check.”

Rhinefrank says marine biologists are being consulted to assess the impact an ocean wave energy park off the Oregon coast would have on marine life, in particular on migratory marine mammals like whales. In addition, the buoys would need to be designed to prevent seals and sea lions from climbing onto them.

The ocean wave generator technology is still in what Rhinefrank calls the “pre-commercial phase,” meaning tests are being conducted with small devices in small numbers and with very little government funding. England, Spain and Portugal are currently conducting tests with similar technology to test their practicality for larger-scale commercial use. Oregon has plans to implement commercial tests with wave generators off the coast of Reedsport. Additionally, OSU and many state entities are promoting a national wave energy research and demonstration center in Newport, Oregon.

A startup company, Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) has applied for the necessary permits from The Federal Energy Regulations Commission (FERC) to test 10 buoys (generators) capable of generating a total of one to two megawatts with the possibility of expanding the project to generate 50 megawatts if it proves feasible. Before testing can begin, more research must be done and additional open hearings will be held to let the public voice its concerns.

The ocean wave project will still face obstacles after initial tests are completed, Rhinefrank says.

“When you bring up wave energy to friends who are engineers or have technical backgrounds, they’re quick to point out how destructive the ocean can be to machines,” Rhinefrank says. “But to me, it’s that incredible power that makes it attractive for producing electricity.” He compares the ocean to nuclear power: “It’s incredibly destructive in its own way.” Generating power from waves is more challenging because it is located in the ocean, Rhinefrank says, but the trade-offs make it worth pursuing. Much of the energy that powers homes and businesses in Oregon comes from coal plants east of the Cascades, and in recent years, the electrical grid transferring that energy will soon be maxed out.

“The challenge we face is to improve wave energy technology to make it available at a comparable price,” he says. “Wave energy will not be the answer for all our energy needs, but different sources of energy combined can provide the power we need.”

Rhinefrank credits professor von Jouanne with doing a lot of the work to obtain the funding needed to advance the project. “The technology is very young,” he says. “But now that politicians are taking notice, funding is starting to become available.”

And interest in wave energy is growing rapidly. Three years ago, OSU’s School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science had one student working on the wave energy project. Today, twelve graduate students are on the team, and the College of Engineering receives hundreds of requests from interested students all over the world.

“It’s very encouraging to see the enthusiastic motivation from students coming in,” Rhinefrank says.

Although professor Wallace passed away on June 7 last year, Rhinefrank says his inspiration lives on in the form of the advancing research. “Dr. Wallace was an inspiration to our group. He would be very happy to see how far along we are,” Rhinefrank says.

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