Ocean energy systems transform the energy contained in the marine environment into electricity or work. Four main types of marine phenomenon are useful as energy sources:(1) Waves, (2) tides, (3) ocean thermal gradient, and (4) ocean salinity gradient. Ocean energy devices consist of a structure housing two main sections: one captures the energy and a second converts it. These devices are typically sited in three exploitable sea locations: shoreline, near-shore (water depths <40 m) and offshore (water depths >40 m). Like all renewable energy sources, the energy available from the ocean is site dependent and seasonal. In the Mediterranean Sea, the average wave energy can be up to 11 kW per meter of wave crest, and in the North Atlantic it can be up to 76 kW/m. Waves are stronger in winter than in summer. The height of the tides can vary from a few meters up to 12 m in the English Channel; tidal currents can be up to 7 m/s in certain locations. During the 1990's, the European Communities financed two studies on resource assessment for wave and tidal energies. The first study concerned wave energy, in water depth greater than 40 m around the European coast, where an installed capacity potential of 230 GW was estimated. The second study was restricted to tidal current streams. This study considered only a few possible sites around Europe, and estimated an installed capacity of 13 GW. Technologies using salinity gradients are in an early stage of development, nevertheless, a minimum installed capacity of 29 GW was estimated around European coast lines. In a long term, and allowing for an optimistic full exploitation of this potential with a yearly capacity factor of 30 %, a total electricity generation of 715 TWh could be produced, representing 16 % of the predicted electricity generation in the EU by 2030. The Ewenet project (www.wave-energy.net) found that the costs of wave energy systems are 0.1 EUR/kWh, with an average investment of cost around 1,500 EUR/kW. The two aspects of EC-activities, demonstration and research, can only be successfully achieved through international collaborative actions between industries and research centres like the Wave Energy Centre in Portugal and the European Marine Energy Test Centre in the Orkney Island, UK.


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    Titel :

    Ocean energy research activities in the European communities. Research framework programmes


    Weitere Titelangaben:

    Forschungsprogramme der EU zur Nutzung von Meeresenergie


    Beteiligte:

    Erschienen in:

    Erscheinungsdatum :

    2005


    Format / Umfang :

    6 Seiten, 7 Bilder, 18 Quellen



    Medientyp :

    Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)


    Format :

    Print


    Sprache :

    Englisch




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