Renewable Energy Leaders Surfing for the Perfect Wave and Tidal Resources for Power Generation

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). Wind energy has been the most successful and widely used renewable energy resource for commercial power generation applications worldwide. Now there seems to be growing interest regarding the generation of hydroelectric power from large bodies of water, using the natural flow of the waves and tides. Nova Scotia Power Incorporated, a subsidiary of Emera Incorporated (TSX: EMA) (Halifax, Nova Scotia), operates the only commercial tidal plant in North America, which happens to be the second largest in the world. The 20 megawatt (MW) Annapolis Hydroelectric Station, which was built in 1984, is located where the Annapolis River and the Bay of Fundy meet. The output of tidal plants pales in comparison to fossil fuel, nuclear, or even traditional hydroelectric sources, but this should not defer the importance of developing tidal resources in coastal areas, where small local generation sources are needed.

Groups from many countries are studying how to harness one of the world's largest energy sources, bodies of water (ocean, sea, lakes, and rivers). The United Kingdom is investing over $88 million for tidal development studies. Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Wales, and the United States all have shown interest, and many have proposed wave and tidal projects.

Here in the United States, we have a few projects being looked at either by private enterprises or by government entities. Three of the groups that are investigating sites are Electricity Innovation Institute (E2I) and Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), both of Palo Alto, California, and the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) (Golden, Colorado). These groups are studying projects in Hawaii, Maine, Oregon, and Washington. Private enterprises are also looking at projects in these states, as well as in California, Florida, and Rhode Island.

One such project is Aqua Energy Group Limited's (Mercer Island, Washington) Makah Bay Offshore Wave Energy Pilot Power Plant one-megawatt demonstration project. AquaEnergy put together a consortium that includes Makah Indian Nation (Neah Bay, Washington), Clallum County Public Utility District (Sekiu, Washington) Clallum County Economic Development Center (Port Angeles, Washington), Thales GeoSolutions Incorporated, a division of Fugro Incorporated (EUR: AEX) (Leidschendam, Netherlands), Evans-Hamilton Incorporated (EHI) (Houston, Texas), Parametrix Incorporated (Sumner, Washington) and Energy Inovation Center (Energy Northwest (Richland, Washington), Washington State University (Pillman, Washington), Bonneville Power Agency (Portland, Oregon), and Battelle Memorial Laboratory in Richland, Washington. The consortium plans to build its demonstration project 3.2 nautical, or 3.7 statute miles west of Hobuck Beach, Makah Bay, Washington.

The pilot plant will consist of four low-profile moored buoys (AquaBuOY) that will convert the vertical kinetic energy of the wave into a pressurized water flow, driving a pelton wheel style hydroelectric turbine/generator. The buoy needs to be 150-250 feet below the surface. The units need to be out of fishing and shipping lanes and, therefore, according to Mary Jane Parks, Vice President of AquaEnergy, could in some cases be integrated in the same area as wind farms. The project will take six months to build, with an estimated cost of $3.5-4 million, but once proven the plants could be built with costs competitive to those of other renewable energy and conventional power plants.

Others projects under study include a two MW tidal and compressed air facility near the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California, by HydroVenturi Incorporated (San Francisco, California) and a 10.8 MW tidal energy station at Indian River Inlet (Lewes, Rhode, Island) by UEK Corporation (Annapolis, Maryland).

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