Despite moderate potential, wave power is one form of renewable energy that hasn’t really gotten off the ground yet. One project in Cornwall is helping to change that. Wave Hub will test four different kinds of equipment for converting wave energy into electricity, producing 20 megawatts of power in the process.
The equipment will be about ten miles offshore.
David MacKay estimates that the UK could deploy as much as 1,000km of wave power generators, yielding four kilowatt-hours per day for each person in the UK. That’s small beans beside the 116 kilowatt-hours that people in the UK actually use, but we need to be looking into all available renewable options.
Scottish Wave Energy Plans Move Forward
“The BBC is reporting that ten sites on the seabed off Scotland in Pentland Firth and around Orkney have been leased to energy companies with the hopes of generating wave and tidal energy. ‘Six sites have been allocated for wave energy developments potentially generating 600 megawatts of power and four for tidal projects, also generating 600 MW.’ The leases were awarded to SSE Renewables Developments, Aquamarine Power, ScottishPower Renewables, E.ON, Pelamis Wave Power, OpenHydro Site Developments, and Marine Current Turbines. Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond said that ‘These waters have been described as the Saudi Arabia of marine power and the wave and tidal projects unveiled today — exceeding the initial 700MW target capacity — underline the rich natural resources of the waters off Scotland.'”
Cornwall’s Wave Hub energy project ‘is going ahead’
The £42m Wave Hub project off the coast of Hayle in Cornwall will go ahead as planned.
It was feared the scheme could become a victim of the freeze on European funds and the scrapping of the South West Regional Development Agency (RDA).
However the RDA said the alternative energy project was approved long before the cuts were announced.
The hub is a “socket” on the sea bed which will link wave-power devices directly to the national grid.