Oregon’s coastal ocean is active — and it’s that kind of action on which a handful of technology companies, the state and the federal government want to capitalize.

It’s wave energy. Or, in the terms of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, hydrokinetic energy. It’s a relatively new industry with developing technology designed to harness the power of ocean waves,  currents and tides.

To that end, the Oregon Wave Renewable Energy Conference, sponsored by the Oregon Wave Energy Trust, is coming to town this week, on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with a series of seminars. The discussion will include topics such as Oregon’s role in global ocean renewable energy, technology development, impacts on communities and economic prospects for Oregon. The main conference sessions will be held at The Mill Casino-Hotel in North Bend.

There also is a public portion to the conference, which will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at the Southwestern Oregon Community College’s Oregon Coast Culinary Institute in Coos Bay. Anyone curious about the potential of the industry can attend and learn about Oregon’s potential for wave energy development at the open house.

The issue of wave energy has been somewhat controversial. Some companies want to place arrays of buoys in the ocean in the same areas Dungeness crab fishermen place their gear and where other fishermen troll or trawl for fish.

Oregon Wave Energy Trust also has set up a blog so that ocean users or other interested parties can discuss the issue online. To join, visit: http://docktalk.wordpress.com/.

For more information about OWET or the conference, visit http://www.oregonwave.org/.