A World of Oceans | Green Energy News

March 17, 2002 – Vol.6 No.51

A WORLD OF OCEANS.

The World Energy Council believes that 15 percent of the world’s energy needs could be met with electricity generated from the motion of waves. That figure seems conservative on a planet two-thirds covered with churning oceans.

Norsk Hydro Technology Ventures, a division of Norsk Hydro, along with two other firms, will invest $8.52 million in a wave generation technology known as Pelamis now under development by Scottish company Ocean Power Delivery.

The Pelamis design looks like an enormous semi-submerged snake that is made up of cylindrical sections connected by hinges. Each hinge joint includes rams which force oil through a hydraulic generator in that section as the snake moves with the waves. Electricity generated is fed by cable to the head of snake then along the sea bed to an onshore connection with the local grid.

Ocean Power is now building a 750-kilowatt, 150-meter long Pelamis in Scotland and may construct a 2-megawatt facility utilizing a number of Pelamis snakes for Vancouver, British Columbia. Visit Ocean Power at http://www.oceanpd.com/ .