By Prof Lars Johanning, Professor of Ocean Technology, University of Plymouth
Europe is accelerating the development of wave energy, the world’s largest single untapped source of energy. There are a number of wave energy projects currently funded by the EU and WEDUSEA is proud to be one of these.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) puts the potential annual global production at 29,500 TWh. This is almost ten times Europe’s annual electricity consumption of 3,000 TWh, according to Ocean Energy Europe, and around 20% more than the world’s total electricity consumption.
The EU has been quick to grasp the potential. European firms hold roughly half of all wave energy patents and the EU aims to install at least 40 gigawatts of ocean energy capacity by 2050, according to the European Commission, enough to meet the electricity demand of all the homes in France.
The EU says wave power could provide up to 10% of its energy by 2050, cutting the need for back-up fossil fuel generation.
Why is wave energy considered to have so much potential? Waves have the highest energy density of any renewable power source according to the World Economic Forum. It is estimated that ‘wave farms’ can achieve triple the energy yield per square kilometre of floating offshore wind.
Waves are also relatively predictable compared with the sun and wind. And because waves are constantly in motion, they have the potential to create energy 24/7.
So wave energy represents a huge opportunity. Innovation is leading to more resilient and efficient wave energy converters being developed that could be putting the industry on the cusp of large-scale commercialisation.
Although there are a number of different kinds of wave energy convertors being developed in Europe and worldwide, all follow the same underlying principle – converting the natural movement of the sea into mechanical movement, most often to power electricity-generating turbines. However, wave energy is also being developed for other purposes, such as through the newly launched European DESALIFE project, led by Ocean Oasis Canarias and co-financed by CINEA, which aims to validate a seawater desalination technology powered by wave energy. The project will be demonstrated in northern Gran Canaria and the goal is to achieve an annual average desalination capacity of up to 2,000 m³/day, equivalent to the consumption needs of 15,000 people.
This is yet another example of the immense potential of wave energy.
Across the world, the growth of wave and tidal stream energy could create 680,000 jobs and add USD 340 billion of value to the global economy, the International Energy Agency estimates.
However, the electricity generated by wave converters has, so far, been expensive, higher than for wind and solar installations. As wave energy expands and the technology is able to mature, the cost is likely to fall, in the view of the EU Joint Research Centre.
Along with other industry innovators, the WEDUSEA partnership is setting out to meet this challenge head on and pave the way for the commercialisation of wave energy. The ambition is that wave energy will one day become a mainstream European industry.
