The next time you are on a relaxing vacation in Bermuda, you may find yourself unwittingly sharing the beach with a power plant.
Like most remote islands, Bermuda is almost wholly dependent on imported diesel fuel for electricity production— the average is over $0.40 KwH including a large fuel surcharge. This may soon be changing. A consortium of partners is looking to create a commercial scale wave farm capable of producing 20MW annually. The company behind this development, Australian-based Carnegie Wave Energy, has determined that the wave regime offshore Bermuda is suitable for their CETO technology, and they aim to partner with a local company called Triton Renewable Energy.
Islands make the perfect marketplace for this renewable solution as they have the right combination of intense competition for limited land resources, a heavy reliance on imported fuel, and consistent wave regimes. In fact, as an energy source wave power is more concentrated than wind or solar, and according to the World Energy Council, “2TW of energy, the equivalent of twice the world’s electricity production, could be harvested from the world’s oceans on a continuous basis.
So how does this technology work? Submerged buoys are anchored to the sea floor and tethered to pump units. As waves pass by overhead, the buoys drive the pumps that push pressurized water to shore through underwater pipes. This water spins onshore hydro-electric turbines creating zero-emissions electricity. Remarkably, the only byproduct is drinkable desalinated water, an added benefit in locations where fresh water is scarce. The CETO wave power system, named for a Greek sea goddess, is an improvement over many past wave power projects because it does not require undersea grids or high voltage transmission lines. Moreover, the project is operationally invisible: there are no visual or auditory impacts, and the materials used in construction are not harmful.
While there can be disadvantages of wave power—namely that it may be unpredictable, may pose hazards to boats, and can potentially disturb the marine environment—the benefits are increasingly appreciated. There are a number of other companies with similar technologies to Carnegie Wave Energy, such as Aquamarine Power’s Oyster and Seatricity, both UK based companies where wave power is becoming big business.
This push towards wave power is in line with a larger goal of Bermuda’s government. A white paper outlines the country’s first energy plan, with the objective to “provide a 9 year plan of how the Government will reduce fossil fuel dependency, establish greater energy security and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions” more than 30% by 2020.
So as you relax in your tropical hotel, take comfort in the fact that the fan spinning a cool breeze overhead may be powered by the very waves in which you frolicked and played that morning.
via reneweconomy.com.au | Photo credit: Carnegie Wave Energy