Technology & equipment | j


three different sound monitoring tools: Integral Consulting, Inc.’s noise spotter buoy, a drifting hydrophone, and three long-term, bottom-mounted hydrophones. Other key operational and research partners


collaborating with CalWave on this project included National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, DNV GL, MarineLabs and UC Berkeley, among many others.


Below: CalWave has successfully concluded a 10-month open- ocean wave energy pilot


Progressing on schedule Just last month, marine energy developer Minetso


announced that the site development of the world’s


first tidal energy kite array in Hestfjord, Faroe Islands, is efficiently progressing according to plan. The total planned capacity of the array is about 30MW, including twenty-four kite systems at 1.2 MW each. The annual yield of the site is estimated to be 84 GWh*, which is equivalent of 20% of the total Faroese energy consumption in 2021. The assessment work undertaken covers all aspects of the site development, including environmental assessment studies, and the infield cable routing and grid connection works. The focus ahead is to finalise the installation configuration of the first four kites forming the first 5 MW phase, as well as securing onshore service assets. “We are pleased with the progress of the Hestfjord


site development project. The local conditions are highly favourable for a first-of-a-kind installation and has the potential to contribute to a substantial part of Torshavn’s energy supply,” said Dr Martin Edlund, CEO of Minesto. The site development project is a collaboration between technology developer Minesto, utility company SEV and Faroe Islands governmental authorities. In addition, The University of Faroe Islands has contributed to the initial site assessment work. An important upgrade of the distribution grid to capital city Torshavn (10km away) is undertaken by Minesto’s partner SEV:


“Having one of the most ambitious national schemes for green transition, we are planning several vital infrastructure investments, including the grid connection point for the tidal array buildout,” added Terji Nielsen, Head of R&D at SEV. ●


Cost reduction for tidal stream energy predicted


Tidal stream energy could plummet below £80 per MWh by 2035 if current opportunity is realised, a new industry-leading report has predicted. The ‘Cost Reduction Pathway of Tidal Stream Energy in the UK and France’ report, produced by the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult as part of the Interreg FCE funded TIGER project, documents the global state of the tidal market, and presents a cost reduction trajectory taking tidal stream energy from its current price of £260/MWh down to £78/MWh by 2035. Simon Cheeseman, sector lead for wave and tidal energy at ORE Catapult, said: “This report presents a cost reduction trajectory for the tidal stream energy industry and an effective way to track progress over the next 15 years. It allows technology providers, policymakers, and investors to see how the industry has evolved, and how tidal stream can make a significant contribution to energy security in the future. The sector has never been stronger and the roll out of tidal stream energy is a huge opportunity we must capitalise on.” The report found that drivers for tidal stream energy (TSE) cost


reduction include scaling up the size and power of tidal devices, and development of larger TSE farms. Moving to piled foundations and anchors for fixed bottom and floating devices respectively would also deliver cost savings. Longer term, the report estimates that a LCOE of £60/MWh could be reached by 2042 and £50/MWh by 2047. Economic benefits, in recent studies from the University of Edinburgh and University of Manchester, were also highlighted. TSE projects generate over 80% of materials from the local supply chain, create up to 45 jobs per MW deployed – exceeding the wind and solar industries, and could contribute up to £17 billion to the UK economy by 2050. It also highlighted that the UK could capture 25%


of the international market value of TSE through export. The report suggests that 877MW of TSE could be deployed in the


UK by 2035, in agreement with the Marine Energy Council’s ask for the UK Government to commit to 1 GW of marine energy deployment by 2035. The report also highlights that TSE could dramatically improve domestic energy security and reduce costs in the future energy system due to its predictable nature. An increasing emphasis on domestic energy security presents an opportunity for TSE to build capacity as a reliable and forecastable complementary renewable energy source. Caroline Lourie, Technical Manager, at the European Marine Energy


Centre (EMEC) said: “The UK remains the most attractive global market for tidal stream energy, with over 10 GW potential. In 2021, £20 million a year was ring-fenced for the sector through the UK Government’s Contracts for Difference scheme; an important endorsement of the industry. However, to drive down costs so that tidal energy is competitive with other renewables, a huge ramp up of installed capacity will be needed over the next decade. For this to happen, we need long- term policy support and continued ring-fenced funding.” The report called on policymakers in the UK and France to support the TSE cost reduction trajectory by committing to industry deployment targets, ensure TSE has a secure route to market such as ring-fenced funding in the UK Government’s Contracts for Difference rounds, and streamline the consenting process to strengthen the project pipeline. These three actions will improve private sector confidence, open new TSE funding streams, and accelerate the cost reduction process.


32 | November 2022 | www.waterpowermagazine.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53