New Hydro Energy Source Making Waves
Staff -- Consulting-Specifying Engineer, 6/1/2005
A new offshore energy source offers the potential of clean, renewable electricity without the visual obstruction of giant wind turbines. Wave power, which taps energy released in water movement, could become an economically viable resource in the near future according to a recent report by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).
The report's authors determined that wave energy may begin to make sense financially once investments are made to allow a cumulative production volume of 10,000 MW to 20,000 MW (compared to wind energy's current generating capacity of 40,000 MW). The study looked at potential installations at sites in five different states: Hawaii, California, Oregon, Massachusetts and Maine. Maine was the only location determined to be unsuitable for profitable wave-energy generation.
