Friday, October 13, 2006
First Commercial Wave Energy
In the discussion of renewable energy resources, one of the more intriguing potential sources is wave energy. That is, harnessing the energy generated by the waves of the ocean--a reliable and consistent energy. Now, the first commercial wave generation plant is getting ready to go online.
The viability of harnessing waves as a lucrative renewable energy source received a boost last week following the announcement that the world’s first commercial wave energy project will begin delivering wave-generated energy to the north of Portugal later this month.
The first stage of the European Union-funded program, the result of two decades of research at Lisbon’s Superior Technical Institute, will bring the first 2.25 megawatts ashore at Aguçadoura, in northern Portugal, and will power 1,500 homes through the national state run electricity grid system according to an Inter Press Service (IPS) report.
[...]
With its geographical position and extensive coastline giving access to the larger and more powerful Atlantic waves, official estimates from Portugal’s State Secretariat for Industry and Innovation have predicted wave power could account for up to 30 percent of the country’s gross domestic product by 2050. Renewable energy experts have determined wave farms in Portugal could yield as much as three times as much energy as that produced by a wind turbine park for the same investment cost.
Energy production with minimal environmental impact and reasonable cost is a beautiful dream; I happen to believe that technologies like this can bring us close to that dream. This has precisely nothing to do with my skepticism about the worst of the global warming alarmists and precisely everything to do with my belief that even something good (clean coal and natural gas energy production, for instance) should ultimately be supplanted by something better (solar, wave, and nuclear energy production, for instance).
Here’s to progress.
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The only problem with this is that it is limited - smaller countries with large coastlines are the ideal places to install.
Back in (I think) the 70s, Jerry Pournelle ran the numbers, and found that extracting wave energy around the coastline of the US would provide about enough energy to run Boston. I don’t remember if he was using the then-current extraction efficiency or the theoretical one.
Powering the equivalent of Boston would help, of course, but it’s not going to make that much difference. Also, Boston uses a lot more energy now than it did then.
I don’t think it’ll happen, but I’d like to see the giant underwater turbines that were once proposed for the Gulf Stream implemented - that’s a “dream big” project for power.
I’m kind of a mixed solution kind of guy. A solid nuclear energy strategy would be the cornerstone of my own personal energy policy. But, given continuing advancements in efficiency along with lower manufacturing costs, the potential of solar and various flavors of hydroelectric is as a great supplement for our needs.
And, yeah, I still love the idea of the underwater turbines, too.
When I went through Navy Nuclear Power School, it was in 1975, when the first energy crisis was still fresh in everyone’s minds. One of my instructors said that he expected the first major nuclear power accident to happen after we had a really big energy crunch.
His reasoning was that “once housewives can’t run their electric carving knives,” they would exert enough political pressure that we’d start building up nuke plants to relieve the situation, and there would be enough shortcuts taken in construction and staff training that we’d be asking for problems.
If France and Canada can accept civilian nuclear power, we ought to be able to, as well. Among the problems, though, is that it has become a moral position for a number of opponents. I remember reading about a survey (back in the 70s or 80s) that showed a surprising number of people opposed nuclear power on a moral basis. That, I don’t understand.
That, I don’t understand.
There’s a simple and satisfying explanation.
Those people are fucking morons.
(Gosh, I hope David doesn’t mind swearing. I’d hate to lose my one-free-drink-a-year privilege.)
I only bought you one drink? Man, I’m slipping…
You only bought me one drink that you know about. The credit cards I slipped out of your wallet while you were trying to make time with that blonde gal, however, paid for three strippers and at least a case of high-quality tequila. Woo hoo!