| Power of current affairs sparks waves of interest at Newhaven |
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| Alternative Energy - Tidal Power |
| Monday, 29 September 2008 15:10 |
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Age Saturday 13/9/2008 Page: 4  WHEN experts started looking for somewhere to try tide power, the advice was clear: you won"t do better than the channel that separates San Remo from Phillip Island. The Singapore-based renewable energy company Atlantis Resources Corporation is hard at work there testing the power of the ocean. So strong is the current that Matthew Harry, a local cray fisherman and chairman of the San Remo Fisherman"s cooperative board, says that when the tide"s running at its fastest, it can be "almost impossible" to dock a large fishing boat."You"ve really got to know exactly what you"re doing," he says. Although the trial began three years ago, the company was initially coy about publicity. Not only was ARC wary that others might steal the idea, it did not want to raise expectations too high. Since 2006, the modest apparatus off the pier at Newhaven has bemused locals and intrigued visitors to Phillip Island. Not only was all the activity happening under water, it was all under wraps. Initially, two turbines were used, and based on data collected over tinge, a more sophisticated turbine, the Nererus, was created in Melbourne by ARC, and installed in April 2008. The new turbine works on a horizontal axis, creating kinetic energy as it is rotated by tidal flows. It works on the same principles as a wind turbine and is already feeding electricity into the grid. Testing will continue there until at least 2011, at which time the company"s permit expires. Although similar trials are going on around the world, none feed electricity into the grid. This week, ARC announced that the US-based investment bank Morgan Stanley had increased its stake to become the company"s biggest shareholder. As part of the deal, ARC acquired Morgan Stanley"s tidal power project development business, Current Resources. The result, says, Tim Cornelius, ARC"s chief executive, is "very exciting". Most importantly, he said: "We can now marry the cutting-edge research and development of ARC with that of Morgan Stanley, resulting in a much stronger product." While wind and solar energy have been among the best forms of renewable technology, ARC believes tidal currents have the advantage of offering "unparalleled predictability". Mr Cornelius describes the Newhaven trial as a continuing success story, through research collected and environmentally. "We are collecting groundbreaking data at Newhaven, and plan to continue doing so until at least 2011," he said. "Protection of the natural environment is paramount. We have people complete regular water and seabed monitoring, and have found that through all trialling, the environment has suffered no adverse affect." While wind turbines can be a danger to birds, there is no evidence that marine life has been affected. So successful has the trial been that the company is thinking about a second Victorian trial, in the Queenscliff area, where Mr Cornelius says there is huge potential. Bass Strait and the Pilbara region of Western Australia are other areas ARC are looking at with interest. "King Sound, located in the Pilbara, has some of the most powerful and fastest-flowing tides in the world," Mr Cornelius said. There was also scope to apply the technology to fast flowing rivers. All of these new trials would be pending permits, which is why we really need a sustained effort from the Government to support renewable energy," he said. "They play an important role in that they really need to support companies like us through the permit stage, as it is all very new technology." |
Waves put in harness Daily TelegraphThursday 18/6/2009 Page: 23A MAJOR conservation group has backed the creation of energy by harnessing the power of the ocean swells which batter much of the Australian coast. WWF-Australia will release a report today claiming energy from waves close... Read more Tidal Power | | Wednesday, 24 June 2009 |
Wave power to create jobs www.news-mail.com.au18th June 2009Wave energy will provide clean, renewable power and thousands of Australian jobs for the future, according to a report. WWF-Australia has urged the federal government to invest in wave power following the release of a report on Thursday,... Read more Tidal Power | | TUSEDAY, 23 June 2009 |
Ocean currents can power the world The (UK) Telegraph has an article on the Vivace tidal / current power device I mentioned recently - Ocean currents can power the world, say scientistsThe technology can generate electricity in water flowing at a rate of less than one... Read more Tidal Power | | Decemberonday, 1 December 2008 |
Ocean grids around Europe By Frederik Groeman, Natalia Moldovan & Peter Vaessen, KEMA Several European countries have a policy to encourage the development of renewable en-ergy sources. This is identified in e.g. the European green paper Energy strategy for a sus-tainable, competitive and secure... Read more Tidal Power | | Novemberonday, 3 November 2008 |
Tidal Power in Nova ScotiaThe Globe and Mail has a report on tidal power in Canada, noting that "Nova Scotia is testing water-driven turbines that could produce 10 per cent of the province"s peak load" - Clean power comes in with the tide.Atlantic Canada"s... Read more Tidal Power | | TUSEDAY, 21 October 2008 |
Oh buoy, wax your board for wave powerAgeTuesday 30/9/2008 Page: 4THE market loves a "green" story, regardless of how convenient or inconvenient the truth may be. The latest green tale comes from Perth"s Carnegie Corporation, which released details of an "independent report" stating wave power could provide... Read more Tidal Power | | Octoberonday, 13 October 2008 |
Wave power could run nationSydney Morning HeraldMonday 29/9/2008 Page: 6THE power of waves close to Australia"s southern coastline can be harnessed to provide over a third of the nation"s electricity, research suggests. The energy swirling through the Southern Ocean could supply the nation"s power... Read more Tidal Power | | Octoberonday, 13 October 2008 |
Danish Wave Power Projects TreeHugger has a post on a raft of Danish wave power experimental projects - Three Wacky Danish Wave Power Projects.Portugal gets the distinction of having both the world"s first commercial wave power plant, Aguçadoura Wave Park, which officially opened last... Read more Tidal Power | | Octoberonday, 13 October 2008 |
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