According to officials at the U.S. Department of Energy, in September 2012 that department assumed control from the U.S. Coast Guard of the Chesapeake Light Tower, a 120-foot platform and light built in 1965 as a navigation aid. The Energy Department intends to convert the tower, located about 13 miles offshore of Virginia Beach, to measure winds, waves, and tides for their potential as offshore energy sources. The Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (http://www.nrel.gov/) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (http://www.pnl.gov/) have the task of assessing the work needed and costs of converting the tower for the new purposes.
Source: Chesapeake Light Tower begins new era, Virginian-Pilot, 10/13/12
