Ocean, Wave and Tidal Power

Auditor #9 wrote:

Quote :

14 January, 2009 14:00 CET
Vattenfall prepares for ocean energy farms in Ireland

Vattenfall has acquired 51 % of the Irish site development company for ocean energy, Pandion Ltd, for EUR 500,000 (around SEK 5 million). The ocean energy developer Wavebob Ltd will hold the remaining 49 % of Pandion and the agreement brings opportunities for further partners to participate.

Pandion has applied for ocean energy sites on the west coast of Ireland, which will be developed for dem-onstration to a commercial size, over 250 MW electricity, when it is technically and economically viable. For Vattenfall the investment in Pandion is a first step towards a leading position on the emerging ocean energy market, fully in line with its planned investments in sustainable energy solutions.

“Ocean energy has large potential to contribute to the implementation of Vattenfall’s climate vision to be climate neutral by 2050. It is important for us to reach our growth targets, which are based on renewables, nuclear power and coal with CCS technology,” says Lars G Josefsson, President and CEO of Vattenfall.

Helmar Rendez, senior vice president Vattenfall AB, explains:

“Ireland’s exceptional wave climate, extensive support schemes, strong political support and appointed areas for exploitation of ocean energy makes establishment there favourable. Quick consent processes are foreseen and Vattenfall has an interest to stimulate the development of the market as well as the technical development. We will remain independent from technology suppliers, and Pandion is technology neutral. The technologies must be further developed and optimised, and the power system concepts need to be integrated, before the technology can be commercially introduced. Establishment of sites with a potential to grow to commercial sites is important for us to support such a development.”

http://www.cisionwire.com/vattenfall/vattenfall-prepares-for-ocean-energy-farms-in-ireland

We are doing something right Any idea what "the power system concepts" means?

A tidal array across the Severn is coming up for consultation this week in the UK - it could generate 5% of the UKs electricity but it would cost £28bn to construct. There are issues that it will ruin bird habitats but your man in the FT argues that perhaps Global Warming could swamp the birds out of it altogether.

The plant will produce >8GW - Ireland used 4GW in winter peak and I'm thinking that if some kind of scheme like that was doable here then we'd be producing all our electricity naturally from the tides without need for importing coal and oil to do it. We could export some easily probably.

Even if the hegemonic ESB would allow it to go through, at what environmental price are these things constructed?

Severn Barrage 3D
1 min