The second webinar in the Selkie supply chain series will focus on operations and maintenance in the tidal stream and wave energy sectors.
Speakers include:
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Ocean energy technologies exploit the power of tides and waves, as well as differences in temperature and salinity, to produce energy.
The changing tides produce currents that can be harnessed by tidal turbines to generate clean, predictable renewable energy.
The physical movement of swells and waves can be captured and transformed into energy by wave energy converters (WECs).
SWAC plants use the difference between warm surface water and cold deep water to provide heating and cooling.
Using stacks of membranes, energy can be harvested from the difference in the salt concentration between seawater and fresh water.
Tidal turbines come in a variety of shapes and sizes, including 2 or 3 blades attached to a rotor (similar to a wind turbine) or subsea ‘kites’. Some devices float, others sit on the seabed or in a seawall.
For wave energy converters, different designs cater for different sites and different wave strengths. Among common concepts are: large buoys that absorb the vertical movement of the waves; flaps anchored close to shore, which are pushed backwards and forward; floating hulls inside which air is compressed by wave movement; and floating rafts connected by a hinge.
SWAC and salinity gradient plants are typically buildings located on the shore that house a heat pump system including pipework, membrane, pumps, tanks etc.
Today, the largest tidal turbines stand around 2MW and the most powerful wave energy converters around 1MW. This is comparable to a medium-sized onshore wind turbine. They respectively produce enough electricity to cover the consumption of 1900 and 700 average EU households for a year. SWAC plants can reach tens of MW, covering proportionally more households.
Ocean energy is a perfect partner to these mature renewables thanks to its very high predictability and the fact that it’s not dependent on the weather.
Tides, and therefore tidal energy, are generated by the pull of the moon and are fully predictable - even hundreds of years into the future. Wave conditions can be accurately measured hours and even days in advance, both for localised wind-generated waves’ and for ocean swells that travel for hundreds or thousands of kilometres. In warm sea areas, SWAC can generate energy on demand, at any time.
The vast majority of ocean energy development is currently taking place in Europe. Numerous projects are located along the Atlantic and North Sea coasts of the UK, Ireland, France, Portugal, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Ocean energy is a set of flexible technologies, which can be developed at larger scales for mainstream ‘utility’ power, as well as at smaller scales for island systems. Islands are a natural fit for these technologies, as they are literally surrounded by the energy source.
All research shows that ocean energy has no significant impact on the environment. The impact of every ocean energy project is monitored closely to ensure that it stays environmentally friendly.
Ocean energy has numerous benefits beyond electricity production, ranging from local jobs and revitalisation of coastal economies to energy security or reduction in electricity price fluctuations.
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