Chile is the country with the highest wave energy potential in the world, the British engineering consultant Baird & Associates reported last week. According to company officials, wave energy along Chile’s coast can satisfy up to 24 percent of the country’s energy demand in summer and 26 percent in winter. Company officials estimate that the construction of underwater turbines along Chile’s 4,200 kilometer coast could generate up to 3,800 megawatts (MW) of energy. The company placed England in second place behind Chile in terms of wave energy potential. “Chile is top in the world in terms of this type of energy. If the country installed the technology necessary to hasten this type of energy, then it would generate great amounts … Read More
Cape wave-power plant on cards
A Canadian renewable energy company has identified two sites in the Western Cape where it plans to establish a wave-power project and is negotiating with the government to lease the areas of coastline.
Challenges and Issues of Wave Energy Conversion
Technical, Environmental and Permitting Challenges Facing Wave Energy Conversion for the California Coast This article summarizes the status of ocean wave energy technology and some of the challenges facing its development Cost environmental, permitting and regulatory issues, especially as they pertain to the U.S. West Coast, are also summarized. Background California is blessed with energetic ocean waves and a continental shelf that deepens quickly seaward, producing a wave energy resource relatively close to shore. Placing wave energy converters (WECs) close to shore minimizes both project cost and ocean wave suppression by friction. The resource availability is matched by a sizeable coastal population with large energy needs. By contrast, the East Coast of the United States has a very wide, shallow … Read More