The famous Northern California utility Pacific Gas & Electric has got into a power purchase agreement with Finavera Renewables. The former will be getting 2 megawatts of electricity that will come from the wave farm built by Finavera 2.5 miles off the coast near California’s Humboldt County. The wave farm will be producing power from 2012 onwards offsetting 245 tons of carbon dioxide annually.

As a result, Finavera will expand the wave farm to 100 megawatts. “PG & E’s backing will help us go to a bank and get financing once we prove that there is no technology risk involved,” says Jason Bak, Finavera’s CEO. The exact location of the wave farm will be determined by the location of onshore power lines and electrical stations.

Many companies and laboratories are trying hard to harness tides and waves to produce power. Unlike wind or sunlight, waves and tides are predictable. If the experiments are successful, tides and waves will be a major and green source of power. Also, sea water is more than 800 times denser than air at sea level. In other words, wave farms and tidal turbines can produce large quantities of power with only a little equipment and real estate.

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