Energy Central EnergyPulse Home
Home Subscribe Login Contribute to Energy Pulse Advertise on Energy Pulse About Energy Pulse Feedback to Energy Pulse
Search Articles:   
  You are here: Home > Future & Alternative Generation > Article Display


Free Newsletter
Sign up today for your free subscription to the EnergyPulse Weekly Update - delivered directly to your e-mail box.
e-mail:


 

Communicating Smart Meter Value

Sep 9 2010 - 2010-01-01 12:00:00 - Your City

If you are involved in Management or Customer Service and are responsible for communicating the value of smart meters to your utility customers, you don’t want to miss this online discussion - Communicating Smart Meter Value.  more...

Social Media: The new frontier in recruiting, communications and marketing

Sep 13 2010 - 2010-01-01 12:00:00 - Your City

Join social media mavens Matthew Burks and Amanda Shewmake as they provide an insider's perspective on how HR, communications and marketing professionals in energy companies can harness the power of social media to be more effective and productive. more...

Eliminating Obstacles and Delivering the Benefits of the Smart Grid - IBM's Optimized Energy Value Chain (OEVC)

Sep 14 2010 - 2010-01-01 12:00:00 - Your City

The convergence of power and information technologies in the smart grid has created opportunities for finer grained and broader controls of energy flows. These opportunities can improve electric service in multiple dimensions: lower cost, greater reliability, greater customer satisfaction, and more...

Achieving Operational Excellence - What to Consider Before Implementing or Upgrading Your Distribution Management Solutions

Sep 16 2010 - 2010-01-01 12:00:00 - Your City

Significant cost over runs. Changing business requirements. A well thought out plan is essential. Attend this free webcast discussion to hear inside hear three experts in utility operations discuss what utilities need to evaluate when they are considering upgrading or more...

Outsmarting the Smart Grid: IT, Security and Communication Infrastructure  Challenges & Opportunities for Utilities

Sep 21 2010 - 2010-01-01 12:00:00 - Your City

The smart grid is shifting the playing field for utilities. And when the game changes, it pays to be prepared. A nimble solutions partner can help you design the solutions that keep operations on track, even as new challenges come more...

1st CSP Today Concentrated Solar Thermal Power Summit India

Sep 7 2010 - Sep 8 2010 - New Delhi India

Deliver a profitable, productive and commercially successful large scale CSP business in India. Building on the success of past events in USA, Europe & MENA, CSP Today brings to New Delhi the most relevant international experience for the concentrated solar more...

Offshore Wind Energy in North America's Great Lakes Conference

Sep 9 2010 - Sep 10 2010 - Toronto

Two day conference that tackles the most important challenges. A blend of European knowledge from the companies who have been installing offshore wind turbines for the last decade alongside local state governing bodies and leading project developers. Permitting, securing long more...

Autovation 2010

Sep 12 2010 - Sep 15 2010 - Austin, TX - USA

Autovation 2010 is a not-to-miss educational forum that will attract utility executives from around the world looking for new ways to optimize their operations through automation technologies. more...

Global Sustainable Bioenergy North American Convention

Sep 14 2010 - Sep 16 2010 - Minneapolis, MN - USA

The North American convention provides a remarkable opportunity to play a part in guiding renewable energy policy for the 21st century. Attendees will create a resolution that, along with similar resolutions already drafted on four other continents, will help set more...

GridWise Global Forum

Sep 21 2010 - Sep 23 2010 - Washington, DC - USA

Hosted by the GridWise(R) Alliance and the U.S. Department of Energy, the GridWise Global Forum will convene thought leaders from the highest levels of government, business, NGOS, and academia from around the world to discuss the ultimate enabling potential of more...

1. Intro to Nat Gas Trading & Hedging 2. Option Applications in Energy

Sep 20 2010 - Sep 23 2010 - Houston, TX - USA

Introduction to Natural Gas Trading & Hedging - This program provides a comprehensive understanding of the structures that underlie Natural Gas trading. Beyond Essentials: Option Applications in Energy - This course provides a solid practical and conceptual (non-quantitative) understanding of more...

Electric Business Understanding Seminar

Sep 20 2010 - Sep 21 2010 - Houston, TX - USA

Electric Business Understanding provides a comprehensive overview of the electric industry. Position yourself for career advancement by gaining a solid understanding of how the electric business works including key physical, market, and regulatory aspects and how market participants navigate this more...

Electric Market Dynamics Seminar

Sep 22 2010 - Sep 23 2010 - Houston, TX - USA

Electric Market Dynamics offers participants an in-depth understanding of North American electric markets and how they function. Enhance your career by furthering your knowledge of market structures, pricing mechanisms, services offered in markets, and how various participants use the markets more...

Gas and Electric Business Understanding Seminar

Oct 5 2010 - Oct 6 2010 - Los Angeles, CA - USA

Gas and Electric Business Understanding provides a comprehensive overview of the natural gas and electric industries. Position yourself for career success by gaining a solid understanding of how each business works, including key physical, market and regulatory aspects, as well more...

Energy Central
Power Network




Future & Alternative Generation


We know you have something to say!
There is an immediate need for articles on the hot topics in the Power Industry! EnergyPulse, like no other publication, also provides a means for our readers to immediately interact with experts like you.
 
Contribute Today!
Please view our Author Guidelines and send submissions to the editor.

Click For More Articles on Future & Alternative Generation
 
Looking for 200 Gigawatts
7.22.09   John Kemp, Director, Offshore Wave Energy Ltd.

Article Viewed 3837 Times
2 Comments
E-mail Article Printer Friendly
 
  • Comment On Article
  • About The Author
  • More Articles By This Author

    The excellent summary of the ocean power scene by Peter Asmus in Issue 6 of the Energy Central Renewables Topic Center highlighted a number of matters that are of increasing importance as ocean power technology matures. At one point, he suggests that up to 200 GW of marine renewables might be developed by 2015 if U.S. and European targets are to be met, with over half being provided by wave energy.

    Wind turbines have the inside track

    One of the unknowns in this equation is the extent to which offshore wind turbines will take a share in the marine renewables market. They are attractive to operators and investors because of their proven technology and, in the case of fixed-base turbines at least, for their known capital and operational costs. They are on the march, and gaining momentum. For example, the U.K. Government has recently suggested that 25 GW of offshore wind power should be developed in U.K. waters, in addition to the 8 GW already in place or planned.

    Until now, offshore wind turbines have been sited in shallow water areas on fixed pylons. However, there are now a number of proposals for floating bases for turbines, and the first, "Hywind," has recently been launched off the Norwegian coast by Statoil Hydro. We can expect many more floating turbines in the future when they will be deployed in deep water in direct competition with wave energy converters.

    Small is beautiful but big is better

    So where does wave energy stand in relation to the strong support that offshore wind energy enjoys from governments, industry and the utilities? A factor, whose significance is not always appreciated, is the extent to which offshore wind turbines are increasing in size, so that 5 MW installations are becoming the norm and larger sizes are already being produced. For offshore devices, the advantages of scale are obvious and it is difficult to see how wave energy devices with rated powers of 1 MW or less will be able to compete with the new generation of wind turbines. An operator or investor is unlikely to choose five or more small devices, whether wind- or wave-driven, when a single, large device could do the same job.

    Looking at the wave energy devices that are currently produced or under development, there are only a few, such as the Wave Dragon and the OWEL Grampus, that can match the larger offshore wind turbines in terms of rated power. Many wave energy devices cannot be scaled up because of the physics of the methods they use for harnessing the wave energy. Clearly, these smaller devices may have niche markets, but it seems unlikely that they have the potential to compete with offshore wind for producing the many gigawatts of power required to meet government targets.

    The demand for renewable power is huge and, to meet this, large-scale devices are a technical and economic necessity. This is well understood by manufacturers of offshore wind turbines, and developers of wave energy devices need to adopt a similar philosophy.

    It takes two to tango

    Having made that point, it has to be said that there are synergies to be exploited where both wave energy converters and wind turbines can co-exist in a particular sea area. For example, as Eric Stoutenburg of Stanford University has pointed out, in many sites, the wind and wave patterns are not closely correlated. Indeed, waves can be generated by weather systems a thousand miles away when local wind conditions are calm. The lack of correlation has clear benefits for a consistent power output from sites containing a mix of wind and wave devices. In addition, wind and wave devices could share power cables and even platforms.

    In shallow water areas, tidal steams are often strong and there are many systems in place, or under development, for exploiting this source of power. On the other hand, wave energy in such areas is rapidly attenuated by friction from the sea bed. However, in deeper water on western coasts, there is a strong case for deploying a mix of wave energy devices and offshore wind turbines. Suitable wind turbines are available "off the shelf," but there is an urgent need for high-output wave energy devices that can partner these turbines. Candidate wave energy devices need further development, financed by private and public sources, if they are to play a timely part in meeting future demands for renewable power. Careful assessment of capabilities versus opportunities can be expected to lead to profitable investment.

    Looking ahead

    Crystal balls are notoriously unreliable instruments but, looking into mine, it appears likely that offshore wind will, in the future, provide a significant proportion of government targets for renewable power. The outlook for wave energy is less certain, but it is basically complementary to offshore wind, and it has a huge potential, provided technologies that can match the power of wind turbines are supported and developed into commercially attractive propositions.

    It would be a pity if, due to lack of suitable wave energy devices, ocean power production was to be dominated by offshore wind, when a more efficient use of available sites and investments could be achieved by exploiting the synergies of a wind power and wave power mix.

    For information on purchasing reprints of this article, contact Tim Tobeck ttobeck@energycentral.com.
    Copyright 2010 CyberTech, Inc.
     
    E-mail Article Printer Friendly
     
  • Click Here For More Articles on Future & Alternative Generation


  • Click Here For More Articles By John Kemp
  • Do you agree or disagree with this article? Send in your own article.

     

    Readers Comments

    Date Comment
    Harry Valentine
    7.22.09
    There is certainly much potential in tidal streams provided that there is no conflict with marine navigation. There are 2 x shallow channels with close to 20,000Mw of calculated kinetic energy where Hudson Strait merges with Hudson . . . except that navigation will have priority so there will be no kinetic turbines in these shallow channels (esimated depth about 100-ft). While there is certainly great potential in offshore wind energy,.wave energy is produced by powerful winds that blow at considerable distance from shore . . . even beyond the locations of offshore wind turbines. There may be potential for offshore wind energy and ocean wave energy to co-exist at some locations.

    The question now is whether wave energy of 1Mw would be cost competitie when compared to offshore wind energy. At some locations wave energy may find a market. There are ongoing developments in airborne, high-altitude and towerless wind energy. These technologies promise greater power output than conventional (including off-shore) tower-based wind technology and could compliment both tower-based wind energy and ocean wave energy.

    The relative merits of wind energy vs ocean wave energy may change with geographic location.

    Harry Valentine
    7.22.09
    The 20,000Mw power channel is where Hudson Strait merges with Hudsam Strait

    Add your comments:
    Please log in to leave a comment!

    Top

        Home | Register | Subscribe | Contribute | Advertise | About Us | Feedback
       Copyright © 2002-2010, CyberTech, Inc. - All rights reserved. Read our Terms of Service.