Ocean Energy
Archived Posts from this Category
Commercial-scale wave energy project to be installed in Oregon
Posted by admin2 on 10 Aug 2010 | Tagged as: OTEC, Ocean Energy
Ocean Power Technologies is planning to install a commercial-scale wave energy project off the coast of Oregon.
OPT is looking to install 10 of its 150kW PowerBuoy PB150 wave energy devices in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Reedsport, Oregon, and connect them to the electrical grid.
Two wave energy devices receive funding in Scotland
Posted by admin2 on 08 Jul 2010 | Tagged as: OTEC, Ocean Energy
Aquamarine Power, producer of the Oyster, and AWS Ocean Energy, maker of the AWS-III, together received £4.39 million in funding to continue development of those devices.
The Oyster demonstration project will consist of three 800kW hinged flaps, each measuring 26m by 16m. The flaps are moved by the motion of near shore waves, which in turn drive two hydraulic pistons that push high-pressure water onshore to drive a conventional hydro-electric turbine.
Aquamarine Power claims each flap will deliver 250 per cent more power than the original Oyster prototype, which was successfully deployed at EMEC in 2009.
The three devices will be linked to a single onshore 2.4MW hydro-electric turbine. The new devices incorporate modifications that are expected to facilitate the production of more energy, be simpler to install and easier to maintain.
Loch Ness site of wave power test
Posted by admin2 on 20 May 2010 | Tagged as: Ocean Energy
AWS Ocean Energy is testing a wave power device in Loch Ness, in Scotland.
The ring-shaped AWS-III deployed on the loch’s waters is of a smaller scale than developer AWS Ocean Energy plans to eventually build.
Scottish company wins lease to commercially generate wave power
Posted by admin2 on 22 Apr 2010 | Tagged as: Ocean Energy
Scotland’s Aquamarine Power has won a lease off the Orkney Islands to generate wave power. It plans to install its first commercial machine, The Oyster, by 2013.
The Oyster is a bottom-hinged flap—like an open oyster shell—anchored to the seabed which moves forward and backward with the waves. It is 26 meters wide and 13 meters high and is designed to reach all the way from the seabed to about two meters above the surface of the water.
The flap pumps water to a conventional onshore hydroelectric power station where the actual generation of electricity happens. Our system will connect several flaps to the onshore plant through a common pipeline system.
3.8 GW of ocean energy by 2015
Posted by admin2 on 18 Apr 2010 | Tagged as: OTEC, Ocean Energy
A new report suggests that installed global capacity of ocean energy may reach 3.8 gigawatts by 2015.
Europe, Oceania, and North America lead the global ocean energy market, as stated by the new market research report on ocean energy market. Ocean energy, one of the most abundant and predictable energy sources is capable of supplying about 10% of the global electricity needs. New interests and technological advancements are giving rise to new industry activity. Though the market was hit by declining oil prices during the 1970′s, the sector is reviving, owing to increased concerns over global warming, rising oil prices, and the need for energy security. The significant rise in the number of commercial projects being undertaken across the world is an indication of the growing importance of ocean energy. Industry growth depends on breaking the barriers of defining policies to support development, expanding cooperation between private and public sectors, setting industry standards, and ensuring sustained development of new technologies.
Lockheed Martin given grants to study OTEC
Posted by admin2 on 16 Apr 2010 | Tagged as: OTEC, Ocean Energy
The US Department of Energy has awarded Lockheed Martin $1 million to study ways to generate electricity from the temperature differences between deep and shallow ocean water.
With a sufficient temperature difference (~40° F) between the warm upper layer and the cold deep water, net power (power generated after subtracting the power needed to run the system) can be produced. Some semiconductor startups perform a similar trick on land with the Seebeck Effect, i.e., generating power from the temperature difference between a steam pipe and the outside air. At MIT, some scientists even hope to harvest power, via the Seebeck Effect, through body heat. Armpits won’t replace nuclear plants but it could possibly replenish batteries.
EU to meet 2020 renewable energy standards
Posted by admin2 on 13 Mar 2010 | Tagged as: Biofuel, Biomass, Conservation, Geothermal, Hydro, Ocean Energy, Osmotic, Solar, Wind
The member nations of the European Union expect to achieve 20.3% renewable energy consumption by 2020, exceeding the 20% target.
In a summary of national forecasts, the Commission says the EU will reach an overall share of 20.3% from renewable sources. 10 of the 27 member states are likely to exceed their targets for renewable energy, with another 12 countries to meet their goals domestically.
US’s largest ocean energy device to be installed in Maine
Posted by admin2 on 02 Mar 2010 | Tagged as: Ocean Energy
Ocean Renewable Power Company will install its Turbine Generator Unit in Eastport, Maine on March 2, 2010.
This TGU project incorporates significant new advancements and technological innovations in ORPC’s proprietary design, including its proprietary turbine engineered with 100 percent composite materials, its proprietary underwater permanent magnet generator, a TGU support frame incorporating significant use of composite materials, and a power electronics system that will convert the variable generator output to grid-compatible power. Nearly all of the project components were made or assembled in Maine, including the 60′ by 24′ Energy Tide 2 vessel that was fabricated in the Eastport area.
First US wave energy farm to be located in Oregon
Posted by admin2 on 19 Feb 2010 | Tagged as: Ocean Energy
Construction has begun on the United States’ first wave energy project in Oregon.
A float on a buoy rises and falls with the waves, driving a plunger up and down, he explained. The plunger is connected to a hydraulic pump that converts the vertical movement into rotary motion, driving an electrical generator. Electricity produced is sent to shore over a submerged cable, he said.
The first buoy will measure 150 feet tall by 40 feet wide, weigh 200 tons and cost $4 million, Pellegrino said.
Nine more buoys are planned to deploy at a site in Reedsport, Ore., by 2012, at a total cost of $60 million, he said.
Europe to build renewable super-grid
Posted by admin2 on 09 Jan 2010 | Tagged as: Hydro, Ocean Energy, Solar, Wind
Nine European countries plan to build a renewable energy high-voltage grid under the North Sea by 2020.
The grid would connect British and German offshore wind farms with hydro electricity sources in Norway, wave power generators near the Belgium and Danish coastlines, and large wind energy producers and solar farms on the European continent.
