3. Tidal and wave
power
SW Wave Hub -
the first three projects
The South West
of England Regional Development Agency (RDA) has named three companies
it has chosen as development partners for the proposed £15 million
Wave Hub project off the SW coast from 2007- they are Ocean Prospect
Ltd, who plan to trial up to 10 Pelamis devices developed by Ocean
Power Delivery of Edinburgh, Ocean Power Technologies, who plan to
install a 5MW project based on its PowerBuoy wave energy converter,
and Fred. Olsen Ltd, a shipping company who have developed a unique
multiple point-absorber system for wave energy extraction. The Wave
Hub aims to create the world’s first wave energy farm off the
coast of Cornwall by building an electrical ‘socket’ on
the seabed around 10 miles out to sea and connected to the National
Grid via an underwater cable. Wave energy devices will be connected
to the Wave Hub, allowing device manufacturers to carry out large-scale
testing of their machines before going into commercial production.
Sixteen companies
from around the world expressed an interest in using Wave Hub. The
South West RDA interviewed a number of them and chosen three with
whom it will work for the first phase of the project. This is expected
to see work commence on building Wave Hub next year, with wave devices
deployed soon afterwards.
Nick Harrington,
Wave Hub Project manager at the SW RDA, said: “We have chosen
three companies that are sufficiently advanced with their devices,
have the resources to deliver their projects and are committed to
working with stakeholders in Cornwall through the Cornwall Sustainable
Energy Partnership to capture the economic benefits of Wave Hub for
Cornwall and the South West region. All three have developed very
different technologies and will form a core group with which we can
move forward. There is still space on Wave Hub for other companies
to join later, and we are likely to hold more interviews later this
year for further deployments in the future.”
The SWRDA notes
that there are still several hurdles to overcome before Wave Hub becomes
a reality. Funding is being sought to meet the £15m costs of
the project and consents need to be secured from the DTI and DEFRA.
The SW RDA, which
has already committed £2m to the Wave Hub project as part of
its strategy to develop environmental technologies in the South West,
will also be seeking a private sector partner that would own and operate
Wave Hub.
* Colin Palmer,
Director of Ocean Prospect said: “Wave Hub makes it economic
for us to develop our first wave energy project. Without it we would
have to wait a long time for the market conditions to be right for
a large scale, stand alone project.” The Pelamis is a
semi-submerged, articulated structure composed of cylindrical sections
linked by hinged joints. The wave-induced motion of these joints
is resisted by hydraulic rams, which pump high-pressure oil through
hydraulic motors which drive electrical generators.
Mark Draper, Chief
Executive of US-based Ocean Power Technologies Ltd, said, “We
are delighted we can now explore one of the world’s largest
wave energy resources. Wave Hub offers us an excellent opportunity
to work with Cornwall’s long standing manufacturing credentials,
a skilled labour force and strong public support.” The
PowerBuoy is free floating and loosely moored to the seabed; the buoy’s
float moves up and down on the central spar as the waves pass. This
mechanical movement drives a hydraulic pump that forces hydraulic
fluid through a rotary motor connected to a generator.
Fred. Olsen Ltd,
have diversified into renewable energy, including the ownership and
operation of wind farms mainly in the UK, small hydro and most recently
investment in wave devices. Their wave system has a number of floating
buoys attached to a light and stable floating platform manufactured
in composites. A 1:3 scale research platform, named “Buldra”,
has been in operation and under test since 2004.
10MW Tidal Farm
for N Devon?
A stretch of water
in the Bristol Channel, 2kms off the north Devon coast, could be the
location for England’s first commercial tidal energy farm. Marine
Current Turbines, the company that installed the world’s first
tidal stream device off Lynmouth in 2003 (the 300kW SeaFlow device)
is investigating the feasibility of building a 12 unit tidal energy
farm in waters 2kms north-west of Lynmouth, off Foreland Point on
the north Devon coast. The 10 megawatt tidal farm, to be known as
the Lynmouth SeaGen Array, would be connected to the local electricity
network and, it is claimed, have the capacity to supply energy to
around 5,500 homes.
As reported in
Renew 160, Marine Current Turbines (MCT), has already received permission
to install a 1 MW Seagen tidal stream device in Northern Ireland’s
Strangford Lough. Now, following consultations with local interests
in Devon last year, MCT has written to various other national and
local organisations to outline its even more ambitious plans for Lynmouth.
Martin Wright,
MCT’s Managing Director said: “The strong currents
in the Bristol Channel offer one of the best resources for tidal energy
in the UK. The success of our SeaFlow device in the same stretch of
water gives us every confidence that we can generate clean power for
the local area on a commercial basis with minimal effect on the local
and marine environment. Importantly, the predictability of the tides
in the Bristol Channel and in other parts of the UK means that we
can accurately know how much electricity can be generated at a particular
time. However, given the array’s size and location, it’s
important that we still examine the environmental impact and the other
issues associated with its possible development.”
Working with PMSS
Ltd, a leading environmental, health & safety and project development
consultancy, MCT will produce an Environmental Impact Assessment and
then determine whether or not the waters off Lynmouth are a suitable
location for the 12 unit array and what consents to seek.
..and also for
Wales?
MCT is also working
on plans for a Welsh project. With funding from the Welsh Assembly
Government, it is to examine and identify locations around the Welsh
coastline where its tidal stream technology could be suitable- with
a 10MW tidal farm project being the aim for ‘at least one’
of the sites. Supported by the Welsh Development Agency’s Energy
Office, MCT will lead the 18 month project and will work with the
Cardiff office of PMSS Ltd, studying the marine environment and tidal
flows around the Welsh coast, local navigation, connections to the
electricity network and engineering and financing issues.
MCT’s Martin
Wright said: ‘Given our work in the Bristol Channel and
in Northern Ireland over the past five years, I am confident that
tidal stream energy will contribute to Wales’s sustainable energy
targets within the next three years.’
With luck then,
if the Devon and Welsh projects get the go ahead, we could have 20MW
or more of tidal power.
Alderney too...
Alderney Renewable
Energy has won the first contract to develop tidal power for Alderney,
with a five-year deal providing exclusive rights to carry out research
and develop technology. A trial version of tidal generators could
be commissioned within five years after environmental impact assessments
have been done. Research by a local panel two years ago, suggested
that the island could source all of its power from local tides. Source:
ReFocus Weekly
20%of power from
Wave and tidal
Marine energy
could ultimately provide up to 20% of the UK’s current electricity
needs and become cost competitive with conventional and other renewable
types of energy generation- given the right level of investment now,
according to a new report by the Carbon Trust into the future costs
and growth potential of the UK wave and tidal stream energy.
The report says
that that they could meet 3% of the UK’s total electricity supply
by 2020. The study is based on the Carbon Trust’s Marine Energy
Challenge, a £3m, 18-month programme designed to improve understanding
of wave and tidal stream energy by helping developers advance their
technologies. The Trust recognises that marine energy currently costs
more than conventional and other alternative energy sources as the
generation technologies are at early stages of development, but says
that the cost of marine renewables should fall significantly if they
are given proper support.
John Callaghan,
Programme Engineer at the Carbon Trust, said: ‘The UK leads
the world in marine renewables technology development. Given our superb
natural resources and long-standing experience in offshore oil and
gas, ship-building and power generation, the UK is in prime position
to accelerate commercial progress in the marine energy sector and
secure economic value by selling marine energy devices, developing
wave and tidal stream farms and creating new revenues from electricity
generation. Our report indicates that wave and tidal stream resources
could ultimately supply up to a fifth of UK energy needs. Given the
sector’s potential as a low carbon and indigenous energy source,
growing the marine renewables market is an exciting prospect as part
of the UK’s fight against climate change. However, public support
and private investment is needed now to step up the pace of marine
renewables development in the UK and ensure it meets its potential.’
In light of the
reports findings, the Carbon Trust recommends that the UK public sector
funders should consider the following ways to support the development
of the UK marine energy sector:
• Give
increased support over time for marine renewables technology development,
with greater support for RD&D and cross-cutting technology issues
to help deliver cost reductions;
• Support
marine renewables project development from now into the medium term,
contingent on technologies proving technically viable in the first
instance, and later- on evidence of reducing costs;
• Develop
a clear long-term policy framework for support to give business
greater investment certainty.
The Carbon Trust
says that it’s Marine Energy Challenge has been ‘unique
in the way that it brought together small scale developers of marine
renewables technology with engineering expertise in order to accelerate
the overall development of the sector. Following an open tender, eight
technology developers were selected to work with engineering specialists
in offshore engineering and power generation and improve the chosen
concepts- all of which were offshore wave energy converters. Detailed
studies were also made into other technologies where developers did
not participate directly, including shoreline and near-shore Oscillating
Water Column wave energy converters and tidal stream energy generators.’
Full review in Renew 162
For more: www.thecarbontrust.co.uk/ctmarine
Wave and tidal-
£85m UK market
Investment in
wave and tidal energy could create a £85m UK market within four
years, according to a report on the opportunities for Scottish companies
in marine renewable energy by consulting firm OTM, entitled ‘Marine
Renewable (Wave and Tidal) Opportunity Review’, produced for
the Scottish Enterprises Energy Team.
It says ‘The
fact that the marine renewables sector is less well developed than
other energy industries presents companies with both opportunities
and challenges. The lack of an established industry structure can
make entry into the market uncertain for newcomers. However, this
lack of structure also means that companies are potentially more able
to create and take opportunities than is possible in other parts of
the energy industry.’
The market is
just starting to develop, but global capital expenditure between 2004-08
is estimated at £72m for wave energy, with 50% focussed on the
UK, while for tidal projects it was £55m, with 90% related to
the UK. Colin Gordon of the SE Energy Team said ‘It is reckoned
wave and tidal power will yield a UK-based market alone worth £90m
in the next few years’.
Source: ReFocus
Weekly
|
