World's Largest Wave Power Hub Goes Live

Wow, here's another announcement: Cheeky article reports from Britain yet again; at Reuters.

OK, here's the originator of the article.

I am actually a fan of wave technology, being an abundant, pervasive, yet nearly passive renewable source of energy. When combined with Wind and Solar, it is easily the third leg in our quest for energy independence. I like that wave technology is less invasive to the environment and local ecology than tidal. The unit in the article is located in Cornwall, however I know that there is much research in Scotland as well.

~KF

Has anybody thought of the effects of capturing this energy and altering the natural tidal flow? I really wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing giant tsunamis or other freak occurrences if this type of tech is widely adopted. Scary.

We need to stop trying to rely upon the planet that we live on for energy. If we use energy from our planet, we will change our planet. So much energy comes from the sun, I really think we should be focusing on harnessing it more efficiently.

I read somewhere once that in four days the worlds oceans absorb as much energy from the sun as humans use in a year... I agree we need to be careful about how we strip energy from our environment, but tapping this stored energy in the oceans can be pretty low impact. One of my fav concepts uses the rise and fall of the ocean waves to drive wind turbines:
http://www.physorg.com/news148641540.html


These things can be "buried" behind clifts and absorb the energy that would otherwise just be battering the shoreline.
Cheers
loCk

There is such a tiny fraction of research devoted to wave (not tidal) technology that I doubt any human effort would amount to much. However the potential for energy generation is world-wide; you can make energy in the middle of the ocean.

Tidal research has more profound impact on local ecology; I know of one such project in New England that partly affected tide levels downstream, though I can’t recall if the project was abandoned. I don’t place a lot of faith in tidal power as a rich resource other than possibly capturing in-line flow in a manner no more demanding than a waterwheel on a river.

Speaking of which, one other form of capturing ocean power is by emplacing turbines in the path of known currents, particularly where they shoot through underwater slot canyons at great depths.
~KF

What if that constant shoreline battering is the only thing keeping California from sliding into the ocean or something like that? I'm not saying this is a fact just that we really don't know how messing with the ocean will affect anything. I think that the number one lesson we should have learned over the last 150 years is that just because we can make something work, it doesn't mean we should. Humans keep missing the fact that all of the natural systems on earth are seeking some kind of balance and that our interference, even in the smallest way affects that balance. I guess I see the ocean as this awesome force and resource in it's natural condition and am tired of humans dropping big hunks of trash into it. Also, a 15 mile cable to transmit 5mw of electricity in itself is not a sustainable idea and makes the entire project rather pointless.

We either need less people that consume, people that consume less, or highly efficient sustainable power generators of some type that are located where the energy will be used. I don't believe that there's enough easily recoverable oil left to build enough solar panels for everyone to have one so it looks like we either figure out some way to limit population(not going to happen), or we just wait for the collapse and let them weed themselves out. If all of these companies that are wasting billions on technology that is fatally flawed from the beginning would just start giving that money to their employees so they could afford to build greenhouses at home, they'd be making a positive difference.

Think about how smooth the transition to sustainable living would be if we as a species just stopped wasting energy on things like sports, video games, TV, alcohol, cigarettes, $5 cups of coffee, disposable mega store garbage......I could go on forever. These are all things that we DO NOT NEED TO SURVIVE and the only purpose of them all is TO DISTRACT YOU FROM BEING SELF SUFFICIENT SO THAT YOU REMAIN IN CONTROL. We all already know this stuff is just flat out counterproductive. Why can't we just give it up? I don't miss my propaganda machine...I mean TV. Basically, if you do business with or work for a company that is providing services or products that aren't necessary for survival, you're helping tighten the noose around our collective necks.

Hmmm, well… I have a tiny problem with the physics as you have stated though I agree wholeheartedly that we need to consume less. Let me address the first:

With regard to stripping oceans of energy, unknowingly creating monstrous water hazards, and affecting the planet, we should talk about planet momentum because that is ultimately what is affected by robbing Peter to pay Paul:

The Earth in ancient times spun much faster. The drag on rotation is caused by wind, rain, rivers, tides, waves, currents, storms, erosion, cosmic bombardments, and solar wind. The Earth spins faster when we have large convulsive earthquakes which pulls the crust closer as the planet slowly cools, like an ice skater who pulls her arms inward while spiraling.

The effect of Mankind in the process breaks down as follows:
With wind energy, hydro-power, tidal, wave, building tall structures, and by mining, we are slowing the Earth down by adding resistance and redistribution of mass to the periphery. However, we speed the Earth’s rotation up by deforestation, mountain-leveling, geothermal, and by launching projectiles into orbit and beyond.

Generally speaking we know the Earth is slowing down. The Moon is by far the largest culprit after the Sun. The implication that Man is affecting planet rotation in a devastating manner is relatively slight and I would say the jury is out. :?

That said, Mankind has hugely affected the environmental circulation by building dams, levies, dikes, altering the flow of rivers, farming, air travel, and of course deforestation – the last which hugely upsets local precipitation, surface temperature, and wind speed. And then we have coal combustion which is just noxious all-around.

If we are to change from a carbon-consumer to using other forms of energy then we have to pick a poison, or choose not to breathe. :|

On the second item, I completely agree with conservation. I’m all for plucking the guitar on the front porch telling tales of great adventure with my sweetie by my side knitting up a third arm – rather than sitting in front of the boob-tube night after night watching commercial tripe, pointless commentary, docudramas, or speculating on LiLo, JLo, Paris Hilton, or any other non-contributing member of society. No, not me: I’d rather be on the porch, or in my cave crafting the next world cure for what ales ye. And on that note, I miss my garden and I want it back. Now that is a productive hobby!

Pluckin’ KF