Latest Updates: tidal energy RSS

• Bacteria to Battery May be Possible
  Srikant Rajan 11:44:42 am on September 6, 2008 | 0 | # |
  Tags: bacteria, cyanobacteria, esf, European Science Foundation, genetic, tidal energy, wind energy

  Algae,fungus – no I am not talking about the possible contents of your dustbin.If science has its say these may actually be energy sources of the coming years.The latest entrant to this list is the billion year old cyanobacteria, which was the first organism to use water as a source of electrons to transport energy from sunlight while converting carbon dioxide into oxygen.New research in the domain biotechnology now presents the opportunity of tweaking the photosynthetic reactions of cyanobacteria to produce fuels  such as hydrogen, alcohols and even hydrocarbons, rather than carbohydrates

  The present research is focused on two aspects namely genetic engineering of real plants and cyanobacteria to customize the product yield.The other aspect is to mimic natural processes  in artificial photosynthetic systems built with human-made components.The European Science Foundation (ESF), vice chairman Eva Mari Aro further adds that wind and tidal power would provide alternative power but says that their capacity is limited and localized.This potential challenge may in effect be addressed by genetic reengineering of bacteria.

   

• Watermills For Clean Power
  Srikant Rajan 11:55:01 am on July 30, 2008 | 0 | # |
  Tags: ireland, marine current turbines, MCT, SeaGen, Strangford Narrows, tidal energy

  Marine Current Technologies seems to be making some headway in its quest to tap power from tides.It had recently started  construction of the largest offshore tidal power system  -  SeaGen , in waters of Strangford Narrows.Now the system has briefly generated 150 kilowatts of power before running into a mechanical malfunction.Often referred to as “ Watermills “ , tidal power turbines work like wind turbines.However the motion of turbine blades is obtained due to tidal action.Such a process is advantageous , as tides are relatively more predictable than winds.

  However this  technology if also prohibitively expensive.For instance , the SeaGen is a $20 million project  , MCT further adds “ The technology is emerging, so right now it is expensive. But we expect that as it gets developed at a commercial scale and we learn more about it, it will be at a price consistent with other forms of renewable energy “. However these watermills also pose a danger to marine life on account of their huge size.But MCT says that the technology used in SeaGen allows for complete control of rotor blades.The researchers can start and stop the rotor, and make it go faster or slower. And to prevent any damage to the ecosystem, MCT  plans to keep the rotors at about 14 revolutions per minute, a speed that is too slow for marine life to run into the blades or to alter tides.This would definitely prevent any damage to small marine life but still pose a danger to larger beings such as whales.Further , such a system would require continuous monitoring and frequent power alterations and may not satisfy a base load requirement.

  However , MCT has  larger plans in its kitty. It has teamed up with a German utility company to build a 10.5-megawatt project off the coast of North Wales that is expected to be operational within three years.

   

• Wave Energy from “ Anaconda ”
  Srikant Rajan 04:34:00 pm on July 20, 2008 | 0 | # |
  Tags: anaconda wave energy convertor, checkmate group, tidal energy, wave energy

  Checkmate Group has formed Checkmate Sea energy Ltd to develop technology for harnessing power from waves. Checkmate is currently lab testing a device – the “ Anaconda ” . This device is essentially a long water filled rubber tube closed at both ends. The anaconda floats horizontally below the ocean surface , one end attached to the ocean floor and other to a turbine. When hit by an incoming wave a  “ bulge “ is created within the water inside which travels to the other end. The anaconda is designed using materials that magnify the “ bulge” as it travels inside the pipe , thus driving the turbine with maximum power.

  Fascinating as this technology sounds , the present version is  a laboratory model , and hence there would be lot of challenges in getting it to the oceans.  In particular the depth of placement would be a crucial factor . Too  much the near the ocean  surface ,winds would snap it and too low would mean construction hassles.

   

• France Turns to Waves for Power
  Srikant Rajan 01:50:32 pm on July 18, 2008 | 2 | # |
  Tags: EDF, Electricite de France, european wind power, france, Paimpol, renewable power, tidal energy

  France has the honor of operating the worlds first tidal power station the  La Ranche , situated on the Rance river. Now France’s Electricite de France (EDF ) , plans to operate 3-6 turbines off the north coast of Brittany. This project is expected to cost nearly $4o million and have  an estimated capacity of of 5 MW. This facility is being planned of the coast of Paimpol and is expected to start operation by the year 2011.

  EDF envisages tidal power to make a significant contribution in renewable power generation sector in France and estimates potential to generate 10 million MW  yearly from tides.  Additionally the Paimpol area is believed to be the region having strongest wind currents in Europe. This proposed facility will hence act as a model to analyze technology under dynamic conditions thus allowing for evaluation of performance and more importantly profitability.

   

• Go Green For a Better Economy
  Srikant Rajan 03:31:42 pm on June 18, 2008 | 1 | # |
  Tags: carbon credits, cleantech, energy independence, geothermal energy, tidal energy, wind power

  "Decarbonized" nations have strong economies.Sweden, for instance had announced a carbon tax in the year 1991 .This lead to a rush of entrepreneurs in the cleantech sector; generating power from wind,sun,and tidal energy.Even garbage,agricultural wastes were used for energy generation.As a result Sweden’s growth rates surged in the corresponding period.Spurred by this success, Sweden is now aiming at complete elimination of fossil fuel based power by year 2020.Iceland ,another nation was dependent on imported coal and oil for nearly 70% of its energy needs during 1970′s.Today Iceland has successfully tapped geothermal energy and hydroelectric power for its energy needs.90% of all housing in the country is heated with geothermal energy; the remainder being heated mainly with electricity. The majority of the country’s electricity (80%) is generated using hydropower; the remainder being based on geothermal power. The immediate fallout of this energy independence is a fourth ranking of Iceland, in the most affluent nations of the earth by the International Monetary Fund.

  And finally ,California notorious for its commitment towards environment protection is one of US’s most energy efficient states and also possesses a robust economy .Studies have also revealed that US has greater domestic energy resources compared to Iceland or Sweden and an estimated second-largest geothermal energy resource in the world.Give these facts perhaps the republicans can have a rethink of their continued support to oil companies.

   

• Tidal Energy for Ireland
  Srikant Rajan 03:39:57 pm on May 9, 2008 | 1 | # |
  Tags: british isles, EDF energy, marine current turbines, tidal energy

  Marine Current Turbines(MCT) ,a Bristol based company is taking the rather offbeat path of exploiting tidal waves to generate energy.MCT installed the SeaFlow-world’s first offshore tidal stream device in 2003 and has recently completed the first installation phase of the 1.2MW SeaGen tidal system in the  waters of Strangford Narrows. Martin Wright ,Managing Director,MCT sees enormous potential in developing tidal energy in order to provide clean energy to the British Isles and Ireland .Wright explains that tidal energy has a unique advantage of being predictable and emphasizes that MCT’s technology can exploit this power in a comprehensive manner.MCT was established in 2000 and its  corporate shareholders include BankInvest, ESB International, EDF Energy, Guernsey Electricity and Triodos Bank.