Wave Energy Hub May Be Coming Soon

The UK is working on what would be the world's first wave energy demonstrator project as reported here in
Plans to build offshore 'socket' close to seeing the light , Rebecca Green, (11/24/2004). According to the article:

Since July, experts have been investigating a range of options to create what the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) say would be the UK’s first large-scale wave energy demonstrator project. The wave hub project aims to create an offshore electrical ‘socket’, connected to the National Grid by a buried underwater cable, to which a series of wave energy devices could be connected.
If successful it would generate up to 30mw of clean, renewable energy and could act as a springboard for the creation of a world-class wave energy industry in the UK.
The project is supported by a £500,000 investment from the SWRDA, which is targeting environmental technologies as a key sector for development.

Dominic Vincent, environment manager at the South West RDA, said: "The initial findings of the study we have commissioned are very encouraging and show that a wave hub off the Cornish coast would be technically feasible. "By the end of the year we’ll have the full picture and will make a decision on how to proceed early in the New Year." Mr Vincent added that subject to gaining the necessary approval and funding, construction could begin in the summer of 2006, with the first power generated by the end of 2006.

The SWRDA said the hub would provide developers with the next step towards commercially applying the devices and complement work being done by the European Marine Energy Centre on Orkney and has potential to create new jobs and support education and training in renewable energy technologies.

I guess we in the United States will need to take advantage of those educational opportunities being that we continue to fall behind our European colleagues in the marine renewables field.