Wave Energy Potential Warrants Further Research
Mar 31 - Sea Technology
A new report from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) suggests that generation of electricity from wave energy may be economically feasible in the near future. The study was carried out by EPRI in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory and energy agencies and utilities from six states.
According to the study, wave energy will first become commercially
competitive with land-based wind technology at a cumulative production volume of
10,000 or fewer megawatts in Hawaii and northern California, about 20,000
megawatts in Oregon and about 40,000 megawatts in Massachusetts. Maine is the
only state in the five-site study whose wave climate is such that wave energy
may never be able to economically compete with a good wind energy site. This
forecast was based on the output of a 90-megawatt Pelamis wave energy conversion
plant design and application of technology learning curves that will enable cost
savings.
Researchers say there are several compelling arguments for investing in
offshore wave energy technology. First, with proper siting, conversion of ocean
wave energy to electricity is believed to be one of the most environmentally
benign ways to generate electricity. Second, researchers say that wave energy
conversion devices have a low profile and are located far enough away from the
shore that they are generally not visible. Third, wave energy is more
predictable than solar and wind energy, offering a better possibility of being
dispatchable by an electrical grid systems operator and possibly earning a
capacity payment.
A characteristic of wave energy that suggests that it may be one of the
lowest cost renewable energy sources is its high-power density. Processes in the
ocean concentrate solar and wind energy into ocean waves, making it cheaper to
harvest, says ESRI.
Copyright Compass Publications, Inc. Mar 2005