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Ocean Energy - Wave & Tidal Technologies

Cape & Islands Ocean Energy Brainstorming Session Held in May 2006

On May 19, 2006, the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) hosted a final briefing on a project looking into the capture of tidal energy at several Cape & Islands locations. The briefing was presented by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).

After the briefing, the Cape & Islands Renewable Energy Collaborative hosted a follow-on brainstorming session addressing larger issues relating to ocean energy development.

Cape & Islands stakeholders and other attendees explored issues relating to the design of demonstration projects involving tidal, wave, and/or wind energy technologies, with the goal being to help define an appropriate role for these emerging options in this region's energy future.

For a summary of this "Beyond Cape Wind" brainstorming session and recommended next steps, click here; for more information, contact Chris Powicki, chrisp@weeinfo.com, 508.362.9599.

Wave and tidal current technologies transform the kinetic energy of moving water into electricity. They are inobtrusive and emissions-free, they generate power more predictably than wind and solar systems, and they offer additional benefits. Someday, they will make significant contributions to the Cape & Islands energy economy, as waterwheels did for early settlers.

Waves shape local shorelines, while tides inundate and expose them. The challenge of transforming these natural forces into electricity has inspired inventors worldwide: A dizzying array of pre-commercial technologies exists, research and development (R&D) activities are under way around the globe, and field-testing programs are being conducted.

Most wave energy devices are designed to exploit the up-and-down oscillations of water as waves pass through it. Some modern tidal energy systems resemble underwater wind turbines, while others involve more elaborate engineering.

The Cape & Islands region is blessed with abundant and world-class ocean energy resources. Recent and continuing evaluations of local applications for wave and tidal energy technology represent both echoes of the past and harbingers of a green energy future. Click on the links below for more information:

Tidal Energy Developments
Wave Energy Developments
Regional Implications

The Ocean Energy webpage of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) provides baseline content on tidal and wave technology and links to information on worldwide R&D activities and demonstration projects.

Tidal Rising
In late 2004, students at Upper Cape Cod Technical High School in Bourne fabricated an experimental turbine designed for underwater use, and they tested its ability to harness the energy from tidal currents rushing through the Cape Cod Canal.

Under funding from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Program on Technology Innovation (TI), researchers conducted a rigorous evaluation of possible applications for tidal current technologies throughout New England, in the Canadian Maritimes, and along the Pacific Coast. This work, completed in spring 2006, was cosponsored by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) and a variety of other sources.

An EPRI report published in April 2006 characterizes the potential of several sites in local environments. The Cape Cod Canal is a prime spot for tidal energy development based on resource potential, proximity to the Massachusetts Military Academy, and other reasons. However, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers policy is to manage almost the entire length and cross-section of the canal for navigation purposes only. This essentially precludes even a small-scale project. Other locations with substantial tidal flows, including West Chop in Nantucket Sound, Norton Point in Vineyard Sound, and the Woods Hole Passage, have varying limitations that were judged by EPRI as making them inappropriate sites for tidal energy development using today's emerging technology.

EPRI's research indicates that tapping the tidal flows coursing through the Muskeget Channel between the Vineyard and Nantucket represents the best option for a near-term 500-kW demonstration project, with an interconnection to the electrical grid most likely to occur on Chappaquiddick Island. Such a project—at the southern gate of Nantucket Sound—could provide the knowledge and experience required to access a more substantial resource base to the southeast, with cable landfall on Nantucket. The EPRI report on Massachusetts sites and other documents relating to tidal energy R&D are available from EPRI's Tidal Energy page.

Based in part on EPRI's work, Oceana Energy filed paperwork with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in 2006 to evaluate the feasibility of a large-scale tidal project between Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands. EPRI's analyses indicate that this site does not offer an adequate tidal resource given present technology. In addition, the company has filed similar FERC applications for a number of other sites in North America. It may therefore be assumed that this initial proposal is speculative.

In 2007, Natural Currents Energy Services submitted applications to FERC to explore development of tidal resources in the Cape Cod Canal, Muskeget Channel, and a number of locations off other states. Again, this may represent a speculative endeavor rather than a serious development initiative.

Making Waves
A previous TI-funded EPRI study, completed in 2005 with cosponsorship from MTC, quantified the technical and economic feasibility of a commercial-scale wave energy facility sited off the coast of the Cape Cod National Seashore and connected to the electricity grid in Wellfleet. Similar analyses were conducted at other sites off the U.S. and Canadian coastlines.

A 100-MW "wave farm" of Pelamis energy conversion devices sited off the coast of Wellfleet could prove commercially feasible in the relatively near term, according to one recent study. (Image courtesy Ocean Power Ltd.)

All studies were based on the Pelamis device (see photo), which has been demonstrated in Europe and was deemed by EPRI to be the farthest along the path toward commercial development. Cost-performance projections for a 100-MW installation off Wellfleet highlighted wave energy's promise as a renewable option that could soon compete successfully with land-based wind energy facilities and dirtier electricity generating technologies. The EPRI report identified demonstration projects as the most important near-term action for spurring commercial applications. A number of demonstrations are being pursued in the U.S. northwest.

Visit EPRI's Wave Energy page to access wave energy reports. Visit MTC's project database to search for information on other "wave/tidal" R&D investments funded in part by local electricity ratepayers.

Regional Implications
Ocean-based technologies, including offshore wind, will eventually play a significant role in a clean and sustainable energy future for Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket. In other areas of the world, numerous shallow-water wind projects have been developed, and small-scale wave, tidal, transitional wind, and deepwater wind projects already are being launched to establish feasibility and provide real-world experience. In US and Canadian waters, project proposals are proliferating, and tidal energy systems have been deployed on a pre-commercial basis.

The Cape & Islands region represents an ideal site for U.S. demonstration projects. The resource base is substantial, and the local marine science, technology, and service sectors offer relevant capabilities, as well as natural synergies that could someday yield knowledge and innovations with worldwide application. At present, however, pubic awareness of ocean-based options and siting issues is limited. Local and regional decision-makers need to examine the near-term economic development opportunities associated with hosting demonstration projects, and they need to begin looking at wave and tidal energy technologies from a strategic perspective.

To initiate this process, an ocean energy brainstorming session was conducted in May 2006. See box above for baseline information and visit the "Beyond Cape Wind" Stakeholder Process page for more information.

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Last updated 06.04.07