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U.S. CITIES:
Wave Power Could Reduce Dependency on Oil
Thomas K. Grose
Companies are learning how to capture the power of the oceans and seas
For four months in 2008, the churning waters 3 miles off the north coast of
Within the rapidly expanding renewable energy sector, wave energy farms like the one tested in
About 70 percent of the Earth is covered in water, and this water is the globe's biggest repository of solar energy. One need only watch waves crashing onto a rocky shore to appreciate the seas' might. If just 2 percent of the oceans' energy were converted to electricity, it would meet the world's entire power needs, according to the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center in
Far from shore. So why has it lagged other renewables, particularly wind? Mainly for technical reasons that are now largely solved. The open sea can be unforgivingly harsh, and salt water is corrosive. Creating machines that could withstand those elements for years and years was a challenge. Accordingly, most government research money and industrial investment went instead to wind and solar projects. But oil and gas companies have in recent years devised technologies that enable them to put their rigs farther from shore into deeper, rougher waters. The marine energy industry now can use that knowledge to ensure that its own devices are likewise robust. That's a big reason behind more financial support going to marine energy now.
Wave energy, more than tidal, offers the most accessible sea power. (Tidal energy uses the currents in seas, while wave energy draws power from the rise and fall of waves on the surface.)
Wave devices come in a variety of designs, but all work to transform the energy from the rolling motion of waves of water to electricity, usually converting aquatic motion to mechanical energy that runs a turbine or generator. The machines used in the
Another wave energy device undergoing tests is the Oyster, developed by
Rubber made. Perhaps the most unusual wave energy converter is the Anaconda, developed by
As with wave converters, tidal devices come in a variety of designs. Some, like the idea from the OpenHydro company in
Costs for marine power are high but could fall rapidly as capacity grows. Consider wind power. It has gone from zero electric power generation in the 1980s to 120 gigawatts today (about 1.5 percent of the total world energy consumption per year), and its costs have fallen 80 percent to a competitive
Government incentives also could encourage private investors to back new marine technologies because they help ensure the likelihood of a return on the investment. And cleanly capturing the power of the seas to light homes and offices is also the kind of technology that can capture the public's imagination. After the
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(c) 2010 U.S. News & World Report