Page 67 - North American Clean Energy May/June 2020 Issue

Drawing energy from waves
Waves are generated by the winds. Even when the wind stops, the waves continue coming into the beach. The top layers of the entire ocean has stored energy
that travels in waves. That wave energy acts just like a battery storage system – aggregating and smoothing. If you convert the slow rolling motion of the wave into linear motion, that linear motion can be used to pump hydraulics. It’s similar to the low frequency, high force principle used in rudder systems for ships and oil and gas riser systems. The hydraulic pressure induced by wave forces can feed hydraulic motors that rotate generators. By storing and smoothing the power, rotation is kept continuous, constantly delivering power to the grid.
Because the mechanics stay close to the shoreline – but far enough out to benefit from incoming wave energy - the critical electrical components can stay on land. As with offshore wind turbines, cables deliver the energy to a substation. Maintenance carries fewer risks than wind because technicians can just walk up to an onshore substation, without having to be transferred to an offshore turbine tower.
Challenges and opportunities.
Wave energy’s biggest challenge is being a newcomer to the renewables market. Initially, costs are high compared to wind and solar. But remember, the same thing occurredwithwindandsolarintheirinfancy.Withsimilarincentivesandsupport, wave energy can start with a lower levelized cost of energy than wind (in its early days). The challenge is to overcome this
This is where wave energy converters could add value, because, just as we’ve seen with offshore wind turbines, the wave energy substructures form artificial reefs, which create valuable sanctuaries for marine life.
While Europe is still the world leading market for wave energy technologies, other countries are progressing quickly. The challenge for any government will be to recognize a long-term ‘horizon,’ with an energy charter that supports a full and balanced renewables mix.
Christopher Ridgewell is CEO at AW-
Energy Oy, a Finnish company that creates commercial-scale technology to absorb energy from waves. Th industry’s first commercially- ready wave installation -WaveRoller -currently feeds Portugal’s grid.
AW-Energy Oy /// aw-energy.com
Automatic transfer switch with integrated home energy monitoring
With the launch of the PWRview ATS, Generac offers a Home Energy Monitoring System (HEMS) built into the switch.
The PWRview ATS allows any home that
is being equipped with a home standby generator to immediately access powerful, money-saving insights about the home’s energy consumption. Because the PWRview monitor is already built into the transfer switch that is required for the generator, PWRview insights are available as soon
as the generator system is installed. Homeowners can download the PWRview app to any smartphone to easily monitor their home’s energy use from anywhere in the world, and unlock information that can help lower energy bills by up to 20%. The PWRview app gives homeowners access to their energy usage with a real time display and 24/7 remote access to their electricity consumption. Live dashboards provide deep insights to inform homeowners when they are wasting electricity and where
their electricity is being used. Detailed bill tracking and consumption forecasts educate homeowners on energy habits to eliminate surprises on their monthly bill.
Generac Power Systems, Inc.
/// www.generac.com
November 10 – 12, 2020
Metro Toronto Convention Centre Toronto, Ontario
electricitytransformation.ca
hurdle and move to larger commercial projects to really get the costs down... and they will come down.
As the share of wind and solar renewables continues to increase constraints on site availability, transmission infrastructure and intermittency will make it more difficult to reach our increasingly ambitious renewable energy targets. One benefit of wave energy is that it can be fed to the grid at different times, compared
to present forms of renewable energy, and sites are readily available close to existing transmission lines.
A market that values predictability, low variability, and production that mirrors demand, will encourage developers to co-locate wave energy into their projects.
Sustainable ecosystems must be a priority.
It’s vital to understand the impact wave energy harvesting may have on the local communities and marine ecosystem. Nearshore wave energy converters operate in a shallow zone where trawling with nets for fish is not feasible. But fishing by other means is permitted.
Electricity Transformation Canada
Discover.
New ideas and innovative energy technology.
Connect.
With energy leaders, professionals and policymakers.
Experience.
An energy event like no other.
Organized by
North American Clean Energy
67