Weekly Intelligence Brief
Fortnightly Intelligence Brief 20 July - 4 August
3 August 2010
Companies, organisations and projects mentioned in this fortnightly round-up include: European Regional Development Fund, Welsh Assembly Government, Tidal Energy Ltd., Eco2 Ltd, S.D.E., Israeli Electric Company, Marine Current Turbines, Queen’s University Belfast, Mojo Maritime, Edinburgh University, UK Technology Strategy Board, UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Dartmouth Wave Energy Ltd, Pelamis Wave Power, Seabased AB, Babcock & Brown, and Fortum Kellaniem
Fortnightly Intelligence Brief 20 July - 4 August
TEL’s DeltaStream technology to be tested on West Wales coast
A unique project that will develop innovative technology to test clean electricity generation from the tides off the West Wales coast is to receive a £1.4m EU funding boost, Environment Minister, Jane Davidson has announced.
It was reported in an e-govmonitor.com report that Environment Minister Jane Davidson, with representatives from Tidal Energy Limited (TEL) confirmed that the money will be spent on a feasibility study to develop DeltaStream technology and assess the suitability of a site in West Wales for tidal stream testing.
It will be backed with £572,000 from the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Assembly Government.
As part of the package Tidal Energy Limited, the Company behind the technology, will be able to carry out site surveys, environmental assessments and design work at the proposed demonstration site at Ramsey Sound, Pembrokeshire.
The demonstration project will last for 12 months and during that period will provide a sustainable source of electricity to the people of St Davids.
It is expected that the funding will lead to the deployment of a full-scale prototype device in 2011.
Speaking about the funding, the Minister said: “Earlier this year I launched our energy policy statement A Low Carbon Revolution which outlines that Wales has the potential to produce nearly twice the amount of electricity it currently uses, through wholly renewable sources by 2025.
"Developing renewable technologies is vital if we are to drive forward Wales’ ambitions to become a more sustainable nation and meet our energy targets.
“I am delighted that this innovative offshore project will be the first of its kind in Wales, demonstrating how Wales can lead the way in our commitment to produce clean, renewable energy for the benefit of our communities and, in turn, tackle climate change.”
The technology will be assembled at a local quay and lowered to the seabed following connection to a subsea cable. Once installed it has a generating capacity of 1.2MW and has been specifically designed to be sensitive to the local environment.
Managing Director of Tidal Energy Ltd, Martin Murphy said:"This funding is crucial to the success of the project, particularly in the current financial climate, and with the support and encouragement from the Welsh Assembly, we hope to develop a valuable, sustainable business that will not only provide a predictable source of renewable energy, but also initiate a business that could lead to the generation of a number of green jobs.”
DeltaStream was conceived in Pembrokeshire by local Marine engineer, Richard Ayre, following initial funding from European Structural Funds in 2002.
Chris Williams – Development Director of Tidal Energy Ltd, said of the technology:
“As well as being environmentally friendly, DeltaStream has been designed to be easily installed and removed.
It does not involve any piling or preparation of the seabed.”
Tidal Energy Limited is backed by Cardiff based renewable energy company Eco2 Limited, Wales’ largest renewable development for projects in biomass, wind and landfill gas.
Chief Executive of Eco2 Ltd – David Williams said: “Tidal power provides a great opportunity to help Wales and the UK Government meet its renewable energy targets.
“However, investment and commitment is required now to make sure that Wales does not fall behind activity being carried out elsewhere. That is why attaining this funding is so crucial at this time," he concluded.
Image: DeltaStream turbine design
Israel’s SDE completes sea wave plant
Israeli tidal wave energy technology developer SDE has completed its first large scale sea wave power plant capable of producing 60 KWh.
According to local news reports and the Green Prophet blog, the new plant only has one buoy and is fully automated with only 10 percent in the water to minimize the risk of damage to the system by storms and other natural disasters.
The company already has generated business in China, India and Africa.
The plant is the ninth completed by the firm and is part of an initial plan that will lead to a 50 MW plant in the breakwaters of Jaffa.
Once completed, the new plant’s objective is to not only provide cost efficient renewable centricity to the port, but also prevent the erosion of the breakwater usually caused by high waves, said the Green prophet report.
The firm has come to an agreement with Israel’s Electric Company to sell the electricity from the new plant at 12 cents per KW.
SDE, which has received support from the office of the Chief Scientist of Israel, Ministry of Industry and Trade, hopes that the new plant will be the springboard for a larger expansion outside of Israel.
“There was an intensive interest in S.D.E’s unique technology even before SDE had an operational model; however, now, when SDE has an operational model, I believe that the development and growth of the company will be unstoppable,” said Inna Braverman International Marketing and business development Manager of the group of SDE companies.
“The erection cost of a 1MW S.D.E’s power station starts from $650,000 while a comparable station costs $1,500,000 from coal, $900,000 from natural gas, $3,000,000 from solar sources, and $1,500,000 from wind.”
Although still in experimental stages, S.D.E claims that its technology and its concept will be able to supply 500 times more than the electricity requirements of the whole world population.
The energy is produced by electricity generators placed on the surface of the sea and the output is determined by a combination of factors such as wave height, wavelength, wave speed and the density of the water.
SDE technology has an international patent and also has patents pending.
MCT Secures UK Grant For SeaGen Tidal Turbine Development
Bristol-based tidal energy company Marine Current Turbines (MCT) and its project partners, Queen’s University Belfast, Mojo Maritime and Edinburgh University, have won a grant of GBP250,000 from the UK government's Technology Strategy Board and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to develop a fully submerged SeaGen tidal turbine.
The company will lead the project, using its SeaGen tidal system that has been generating electricity into the grid since 2008.
MCT's new technology will use similar turbines, power trains and control systems to those already proven with SeaGen.
The aim of the next-generation SeaGen will be to be above the surface of the water and have sufficient internal air-filled space to carry the equipment essential to produce fully grid compliant electricity.
Charles Hendry, the UK Energy Minister, said: "Wave and tidal stream technologies, such as SeaGen, have the potential to supply millions of homes with low carbon energy - reducing our dependency on foreign energy imports and cutting dangerous greenhouse gas emissions.
"SeaGen, which has received financial support from the UK Government, is an excellent example of the UK's world-class engineering and offshore expertise and skills."
Iain Gray, chief executive of the Technology Strategy Board, said: "By 2050 we are going to have very different energy needs than we have today and we will be getting our energy from different sources.
"The UK is well placed to exploit wave and tidal stream energy resources with all of the coast line that we have, and it is expected this kind of technology will be an important part of the renewable energy mix needed in the future."
"Ocean technology more reliable than other renewables", says report
Prospects for the hydro, wave, and tidal power market look upbeat as countries are investing in renewable energy sources to augment energy security.
It is estimated that the worldwide wave resources is 6,000 TWh/year, twice as much as global nuclear production and 700 TWh/year for tidal power.
In other words, the market potential for the wave industry is about $1 trillion worldwide, according to a research report conducted by Frost & Sulivan.
The report said that ocean (wave and tidal) technology is much more reliable and predictable than other kinds of renewable energies, such as wind or solar.
Coupled with vast worldwide resources (2,000 TWh to 4,000 TWh yearly), ocean energy may be the key to answer the world's escalating energy needs.
It is projected that commercialization of wave and tidal energy will take place in the next 5-10 years as the technology evolves and production costs decline," notes Technical Insights Research Associate Wai Loon Chin.
"Wave and tidal energy are expected to be deployed on a commercial scale due to its large promising resource and high market potential; it is crucial for technology developers to push through into the commercialization phase."
The future of wave and tidal energy depends heavily on financial funding from public, private, and government entities.
Deployment of wave and tidal technology will not be easily achievable due to large initial installation cost. The United Kingdom has provided £8 million for the European Marine Energy Research Centre (EMEC).
This research centre as previously reported will serve as a testing facility for technology developers to create their devices.
In another example, the UK Government has set up £22 million funding to offset the large capital cost during the installation stage.
According to Alvin Smith, CEO of Dartmouth Wave Energy Ltd, the current cost for wave energy is estimated to be £2 million per MW.
However, there have been a few reported project setbacks as well.
For instance, a €9 million Aguçadoura project involving a 2.5 MW wave farm in Portugal was halted indefinitely in early 2009.
This project was originally led by an alliance between Pelamis Wave Power and Babcock & Brown.
The recent international credit crisis forced Babcock & Brown into liquidation in mid-2009, and hence the project was discontinued.
"Current challenges being faced in the industry include a lack of regulatory framework promoting marine energy, and a lack of field-tested, robust technologies that have proven track records in their ability to withstand the extremely harsh weather conditions of the ocean, said Chin."
By securing ample financial assistance, large-scale devices can be developed to generate more electricity (MW range) instead of prototype scale (kW range).
Case in point, Pelamis Wave Power has managed to secure £4.8 million funding from the UK Government’s Marine Renewable Proving Fund (MRPF).
Technology developers could collaborate with each other to accelerate the commercialization phase, while reducing the overall cost.
Joint ventures between companies and governments will serve to boost future development in marine renewable energies.
Seabased AB, one of the key participants in the wave industry, has collaborated with Fortum Kellaniem to develop the largest wave farm in Sweden, capable of generating 10 MW capacity.
Collaborations will not only ratchet down costs, said the report, but also help to compete with other renewable technologies, such as solar, hydro, and wind.
