Tidal and Wave Energy
Commonwealth Business Council Power Summit 2011
Jason Hayman
“...innovative thinking – practical solutions.” Managing Director
Energy storage solved by nature?
“With the oceans covering
over 70% of the earth’s
surface, they are the world’s
largest collector and retainer
of the sun’s vast energy –
and the largest powerhouse
in the world” – Source: Ocean
Energy Council
Image source: NASA (http://visibleearth.nasa.gov)
“...innovative thinking – practical solutions.”
How do we convert the energy into a useable form?
• Tides (barrage)
• Currents (tidal and ocean)
• Waves
• Ocean thermal energy conversion
• Salinity gradient
• Biofuels from algae
Source: Marine Current Turbines Limited
Source: Voith Hydro Wavegen
“...innovative thinking – practical solutions.”
How much energy can we convert?
Source: International Energy Agency; Implementing Agreement on Ocean Energy Systems
“...innovative thinking – practical solutions.”
Tidal hotspots
Source: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/stories/topex/images/TidalPatterns_hires.tif
“...innovative thinking – practical solutions.”
Wave hotspots
Source: Pelamis Wave Power
“...innovative thinking – practical solutions.”
Intermittence and energy density
Ocean
Solar PV Wind Wave Tidal Flow
Current
Device early
commercial pre-commercial pre-commercial prototype
Status commercial
sun-w ind-
Energy sun sun sun-w ind gravity gravity-earth’s
Source rotation
>30 kW/m off
Power 1 kW/m2 at peak 1 W/m2 at 12m/s 5 kW/m2 at 3m/s 5 kW/m2 at 3m/s
north and west
Density solar insolation (GE 1.5 MW) flow speed flow speed
coasts of UK
constant – some
Hourly daily cycles -
when it blows
24/7 and highly
diurnal cycles seasonal
Variability clouds variable
variation
Predictability poor hours days centuries centuries
“...innovative thinking – practical solutions.”
The challenges...
The same as any new industrial technology:
• Technology risk
• Available capital
• Regulatory risk
• Perverse incentives and incumbent dinosaurs
“...innovative thinking – practical solutions.”
Parting thought...
"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly
find out how far one can go."
—T. S. Eliot
“...innovative thinking – practical solutions.”