December 01, 2008 12:41 AM UTC

WAVE ENERGY CAN LIGHT UP HAWAII

• 4 Comments
• by: HawaiiRep

(rule #1 – when your mom writes, you must promote it – promoted by DavidThi808)

WAVE ENERGY CAN LIGHT OUR ISLANDS WHILE WE WAIT FOR WINDFARMS AND THEIR CABLES TO BE DEVELOPED

Rep. Cynthia Thielen

50th District (Kailua-Kaneohe Bay)

The recent agreement between Governor Lingle and the Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) shows that Hawaii is serious about renewable energy.  Thus far, we seem to be relying on wind power to meet the admirable goals set by the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative.  That’s great, but in a state with extremely finite amounts of available land, shouldn’t we also be looking seaward?  Wave Energy Converters (WECs) are already providing power to the electric grid in Europe, and Hawaii has one of the best wave climates in the world.

I recently attended the International Conference on Ocean Energy (ICOE) in Brest, France, where 457 attendees from 25 countries, including numerous wave energy technology and wave center developers, 15 utilities, large industrial companies, university research and support staff, and government representatives assembled.    At the opening portion of the ICOE, I explained to WEC developers why Hawaii should be the preferred location for their devices.  The ICOE’s goal is to put 4-5 WECs per week into the water by 2020, and Hawaii, if it truly wants to develop its renewable energy resources and industry, would do well to capitalize upon this maritime gold rush.

Wave energy is a fast-emerging industry which will catch up with and exceed wind and solar within 10 years due to the reliability and tremendous potential of wave energy conversion.  The question now is whether Hawaii will become an international leader in wave energy development or merely sit on the sidelines and have to buy WECs at retail (plus shipping and handling).

The University of Hawaii’s School of Ocean and Earth Science Technology (SOEST) was recently selected as one of two Federal ocean renewable energy test centers.   The five year designation and $5 million grant enables SOEST to study and implement wave energy systems in Hawaii’s seas.  The key to making Hawaii an industry leader, and stimulating our economy, is for SOEST to develop one or more wave energy test centers as soon as possible.  At ICOE, we learned that 12 such centers are installed or in development globally, with none in Hawaii at this point.  

The economics, quite simply, are compelling.  Wave Hub, located in Southwest England, calculated its one center will create over 1800 new jobs, with $937 million gross value added to its local economy over the next 25 years.  Oceanlinx (soon to be operating off Maui), Pelamis, Fred Olsen Ltd., and Powerbuoy will be “plugging in” to the Wave Hub in 2010.  In Portugal, Pelamis has three machines already feeding into the electric grid, and plans to install an additional 25 WECs.

The Biscay Marine Energy Platform led by EVE in Spain aims to place the Basque region at the forefront of the wave energy industry.  Its four berths, each with multiple connections for WEC developers, with sub sea cables to on-shore power substations will allow WECs to deliver power directly to the local grid.  The project will be starting construction shortly and the WECs are expected to be operating by 2010.  Of significant importance, its full Environmental Impact Analysis includes analysis of all potential WECs, which can then be deployed without further delay.  Biscay, Wave Hub, and other University-based ocean research centers can assist SOEST in developing wave energy test sites in Hawaii.

Laying an inter-island transmission line for wind power will be a costly and time-consuming process.  By moving ahead aggressively with WEC construction here on Oahu, we can have systems in the water, providing clean, renewable energy to the grid within two years, well before any inter-island cable is laid.  Internationally, the wave energy targets are set high:  The UK’s target is two Gigawatts of installed wave energy capacity by 2020.  New Zealand, which is mapping its marine energy climate, plans for its wave energy systems to catch up with its wind systems in as little as five years.  

Wave energy in Hawaii could meet 100 percent of the power needs of our neighbor islands, and 80 percent here on Oahu.  Entities like HECO and SOEST must take the lead by establishing wave test centers or wave renewable energy zones now.  This action would signal to WEC companies that Hawaii is serious about leading with this clean, consistent and renewable energy.  High-paying technical jobs will be created in several sectors, providing stimulation in difficult economic times.  The economy, the environment, and ultimately the consumer benefit from using the ocean surge.