Leila Monroe's Blog
Ocean Renewable Energy: Different Challenges for Wind, Wave, & Tidal
October 10, 2008
Posted by Leila Monroe in Moving Beyond Oil
In the last few months, there has been an unprecedented level of attention to the production of energy in the ocean off the coast of the United States. Although much of this attention has been focused on the short-sited lifting of the moratorium on offshore oil and gas drilling, there is also an encouraging wave of action to develop renewable energy projects in the ocean.
Wind energy production, as a fairly mature industry, with well-tested technologies and large developers in play, has dominated the conversation about ocean energy. Today Green Inc. highlighted some of the challenges faced in developing wind offshore in Texas. Currently available wind technologies require that the turbines be anchored in the seabed.
On the West Coast of the U.S., however, wind energy is not as immediately viable as on the East Coast or in the Gulf of Mexico, in-part because the continental shelf drops off quickly and is generally too deep for anchored turbines. This means that wind turbines off the West Coast may have to be the kind that float-this technology is a number of years from being viable. In the meantime, there is movement to develop wind and wave energy projects on the West Coast. George Boehlert and his team from the Hatfield Marine Science Center at Oregon State University have made projections about the environmental impacts of wave and tidal energy production, but its not possible to know the actual scope of those impacts, and to prevent negative impacts, until small pilot projects have been placed in the water.
This week, a small group of people--conservation groups, utilities, developers, consultants, and Mayor Gavin Newsom of San Francisco--met to talk about getting effective, environmentally sound wave and tidal energy in place as soon as possible. There are risks and challenges (funding, environmental, regulatory), but wave and tidal power has great potential as a safe clean alternative to fossil fuels. Federal and state coordination and support is needed now so that ocean energy is managed with an integrated, effective, environmentally sound approach--a step was made in this direction at an important meeting last month in Portland, coordinated by the West Coast Governor's Agreement on Ocean Health. We also need to get small test projects in the water so that we can start to study the actual impacts of these new technologies.
Oregon State University Conceptual Wave Park
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Comments
Pierre Bull — Oct 11 2008 10:43 AM
Hi Leila,
Very nice blog post! I'm just 5 weeks into my job at NRDC - NYC office. I have yet to talk more with oceans program folks (they're across the hallway from me), but I'm engaged with the State of FL Renewable Portfolio Standard development. There is a technical potential study now underway. There was a lot of interest in ocean thermal/tidal energy. Let's chat sometime soon! Thanks.
Jerohm Mesiona — Oct 14 2008 01:59 AM
Hi Leila,
I started to like our oceans and water so much that I became a certified diver. I like the concept picture of bouyed electric generator. There is one different approach in Scotland called the tidal turbine under development. I wish to help as a volunteer for many ocean renewable energy developments. I picture it that I would return diving to our oceans again and again.
Joseph O'Sullivan — Oct 14 2008 06:58 AM
What's the status of the tidal power project in the East River in New York City?
bryan — Oct 14 2008 05:09 PM
Thanks for the link to the environmental impacts of wave energy projects, I've been looking for something like that for a while now.
Leila Monroe — Oct 14 2008 06:01 PM
Hey Joseph,
To answer your question, you might check out the developer's website: www.verdantpower.com
Leila — Oct 14 2008 07:48 PM
Another article worth reading on renewable energy development in the ocean: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122305758177602871.html
Leila — Oct 17 2008 07:10 PM
Another article about renewable energy from the ocean: http://www.alternet.org/water/103372/will_oceans_be_our_best_source_of_clean_power/?page=2