The open ocean is an unforgiving judge of engineering prowess.
Salty seawater, gale-force winds and relentless, punishing waves resist entrepreneurs’ determination to install power-generating devices in the water. The scale of that challenge is reflected in the marine energy industry's poor track record to date.
Offshore wind turbines operate in harsh conditions, but they do so largely above the waterline. Marine energy devices, on the other hand, are exposed to the full force of the ocean’s ferocity by floating atop or below the waves. At the end of 2019, there were just 531 megawatts of wave, tidal and other marine energy technologies installed globally, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency.
But the fledgling marine energy industry will soon get a boost in the United States. Oregon State University’s PacWave testing facility is in its permitting home stretch and could begin construction this year.
Offshore wind turbines operate in harsh conditions, but they do so largely above the waterline. Marine energy devices, on the other hand, are exposed to the full force of the ocean’s ferocity by floating atop or below the waves. At the end of 2019, there were just 531 megawatts of wave, tidal and other marine energy technologies installed globally, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency.
But the fledgling marine energy industry will soon get a boost in the United States. Oregon State University’s PacWave testing facility is in its permitting home stretch and could begin construction this year.
The project has received $35 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and $3.8 million from the state government of Oregon - LINK
No comments:
Post a Comment