WAVE power is finally about to take off. After neglecting this source of
renewable energy for the past 16 years, the British government is seriously
considering backing a clutch of technologies for turning wave energy into
electricity after being told that they are now economically viable.
Britain鈥檚 state-funded research programme into wave power was cancelled,
controversially, in 1982. The government claimed that waves were an uneconomic
source of energy, but the scientists involved accused ministers of sabotaging
its prospects to protect nuclear power. The inventors of the six available
devices for harnessing wave energy鈥攂ased in Scotland, Ireland, Sweden and
Korea鈥攚ere forced to find alternative funding from industry and the
European Commission to develop their technologies.
Now Tom Thorpe, the government鈥檚 leading adviser on wave power, has told the
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) that three of the six devices have been
improved to the extent that they can generate electricity for under six pence
per kilowatt-hour鈥攖he cost below which energy production becomes
competitive. This assumes a discount rate鈥攚hich banks use to gauge the
risk of an investment鈥攐f 15 per cent.
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He says that one device, the 鈥渘odding duck鈥� invented by Stephen Salter at the
University of Edinburgh, can produce power by bobbing up and down with the waves
for as little as 2.6 p/kWh. This compares with about 2.5 p/kWh for electricity
from a new gas-fired power station and 4.5 p/kWh from a nuclear power station
(see Figure), according to Gordon
MacKerron from the Science Policy Research Unit at Sussex University.
Thorpe, who is a consultant with AEA Technology at Culham in Oxfordshire and
has advised the government on wave power since 1989, unveiled his results at a
government seminar on renewable energy from marine sources in London this week.
He said that efficient new designs and technological breakthroughs had reduced
the average cost of wave power, which is now ten times lower than it was in
1982. 鈥淲ave energy is already economically competitive in niche markets,鈥� he
argued. Backing from industry was already increasing, he said.
The findings have been submitted to the DTI as part of a review of renewable
energy policy due to be completed within the next two months. In order to cut
carbon dioxide emissions, the government is committed to producing ten per cent
of Britain鈥檚 electricity from renewable sources by 2010.
Thorpe鈥檚 advice makes it likely that wave power will be included in any new
government scheme to promote renewable energy or in the existing nonfossil fuel
obligation, which subsidises selected power sources.
John Battle, the minister for science, energy and industry, regards Thorpe鈥檚
conclusions as very encouraging. 鈥淚 will ask officials to report to me with
positive and practical proposals to see what we can go for to enable wave power
to break in as a source of renewable energy,鈥� he told 快猫短视频.
Salter said he would be delighted if the political will now existed to support
wave power.