Firm finds there's power in paddles off Outer Banks

Apr 5 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Jeff Hampton The Virginian-Pilot

 

A beach-ravaging winter storm on the Outer Banks could help power homes thanks to a billboard-size fiberglass paddle that generates electricity as it moves to and fro in the sea currents.

Resolute Marine Energy, a private firm based in Boston, tested a wave-energy converter in December and January near the end of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers research pier in Duck. Ravaged by salt water and sea swells, the device indicated that if it can withstand the elements, ocean power might be among the best of the renewable energy sources, said Clifford Goudey, senior engineer with RME.

"We were pleased with the results," he said.

Similar devices set up along a mile of shoreline could produce about 10 megawatts, enough electricity to power about 1,000 homes, he said.

The results were good enough on the Outer Banks that the company now plans to begin tests in Yakutat on the Gulf of Alaska, where diesel generators are the primary source of power costing 55 to 60 cents per kilowatt hour, Goudey said. The average cost of electricity in North Carolina is about 10 cents per kilowatt hour.

The goal in Yakutat will be to produce 500 to 700 kilowatts, he said. Cost to consumers is not known, but tests indicate wave-powered electricity will be cheaper for an isolated place with strong ocean currents such as Yakutat, Goudey said. Eventually, mass production of the devices could reduce expenses, he said.

"Right now, it is a tough situation for companies in the renewable energy business," he said. "There is a glut of natural gas."

RME's fiberglass paddle held up well, but the steel mounting arms broke the last day of the tests, Goudey said. In Alaska, he plans to enlarge the mounting arms, he said.

New materials developed by the aerospace and shipping industries could make the difference, said Sean O'Neill, president of the Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition based in Washington, D.C.

"This is a brand-new industry about to take off," O'Neill said. "We've got the concept down. Now it's a matter of how sturdy the technology is and what are the operating and maintenance costs."

The federal government has subsidized testing of wave-energy converters. RME received a $1 million grant for the Outer Banks test.

"Obviously, there is a demand for different types of energy products, but taxpayers should not have to match the costs at ridiculous rates per kilowatt hour," said Dallas Woodhouse, state director of the North Carolina Chapter of Americans For Prosperity, which advocates for limited government.

In December, staff at the research pier used a remodeled Korean War-era amphibious vehicle to pull the paddle nearly a quarter-mile offshore to be mounted near the pier on a concrete base. Located on Duck beachfront that was once a bombing range, the 1,860-foot pier is the longest on the East Coast. A staff of oceanographers and other scientists has manned the facility since it opened in 1977.

RME tested its device against the data collected at the facility going back nearly 40 years.

"We are in the perfect position for that," said Mike Forte, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers scientist at the research pier. "They had access to a diverse team here."

An encasement similar to a fire hose protected hydraulic cords, air hoses, electrical and data cables, and an underwater camera that fed information to staff. With more testing, an array of wave-energy converters also could help control beach erosion, Forte said.

"Theoretically, it makes sense," he said.

Jeff Hampton, 252-338-0159, jeff.hampton@pilotonline.com

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