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While the ocean energy sector is still in its infancy, a new report analyzes ten emerging technologies to generate energy from tides and waves.
An integrated systems approach is necessary for successful commercialization.
It takes a fantasy almost of science fiction to imagine that we can use the permanent movement of the oceans to power our cities and our homes.
Yet such ideas are on designers' desks, going through demonstrations of viability, for a possible commercial success.
The shift to economically viable ocean energy technologies is a huge step towards decarbonisation and the growth of the blue economy in many coastal areas.
With only 17 MW against 15.8 GW of offshore wind capacity installed in European waters, mainly as pre-commercial demonstration or leading projects, all the proposed technological solutions to bridge the gap between the R stage & D and the commercialization of ocean energy. devices can be considered for the moment as a future emerging technology.
As part of the internal project of the Low Carbon Energy Observatory (LCEO) of the European Commission, the Joint Research Center (JRC) is developing an inventory of emerging technologies in the European Union. future related to energy supply.
Thirty ocean energy experts analyzed the needs of the sector and the type of innovations that bridge the gap with the market.
The new Emerging Technologies for the Ocean Energy: Innovation and Change Designers report provides policymakers and all other players in the ocean energy sector with a set of innovations that can bring innovation to the ocean energy sector. ocean energy on the market. , national or European funding, which would help maintain European leadership in this emerging sector.
The experts describe the state of advancement of each technology family, its benefits, its technological limitations and its readiness for technology.
Emerging industry brimming with ideas
In Europe, a wide variety of concepts have been developed for the conversion of ocean energy, with more than 200 different devices on offer.
Experts talk about ten ocean energy technology families, which group together wave or tidal converters, subsystems and components characterized by a common operating principle or design.
Tidal energy
In terms of speed of development, the first generation of tidal energy converters is at the head of the group.
They have reached the pre-commercial stage with a total installed capacity of about 12 MW in Europe and their development speed is average, the devices having reached maturity after more than 10 years of R & D.
Floating tidal devices do not require heavy and expensive foundation systems.
The speed of development of the technology is medium / fast (ie less than 5 to 15 years), some floating tidal platforms are already in an advanced stage of development.
Third generation tidal energy converters extract energy from a tidal or water flow using sails, kites, or simulating the swimming movement of fish.
The speed of development is medium / fast and depends on the development of materials and auxiliary technology.
Wave of energy
In terms of wave energy, the research goes back 40 years.
The availability of test facilities and new computer tools makes research more accessible and opens up new opportunities leading to an innovative approach to the first generation of wave energy concepts.
Advances in artificial intelligence and learning algorithms offer an opportunity to develop more efficient designs.
The speed of development is in the medium-slow range.
New wave energy concepts exploit the flexibility of materials and the orbital velocities of water particles to convert wave energy into electricity.
They are characterized by overall design simplicity over first generation wave energy devices.
Yet, they are in the early stages of development: no aircraft has been installed at sea and the maximum power rating of the aircraft has not yet been identified.
Innovative energy take of tides and waves
This large group of different approaches on how to extract energy from the ocean and convert it into electricity offers many opportunities for innovation and unleashes the potential of Ocean energy in Europe.
Direct drive, hydraulic and inertia systems are more advanced.
Mechanical systems can be at a relatively fast rate, while dielectric elastomers offer a fast rate of development, but require more R & D.
Additional information on these concepts is available in the Marinet 2 P Horizon 2020 project, the Wave Energy Scotland program and the list of wave and tidal energy technologies from the European Center for Marine Energy.
Conclusions and recommendations for future work
An integrated systems approach is needed to develop efficient marine energy systems; therefore, collaboration with the industry and engagement with the original equipment manufacturers from the very beginning of development are recommended.
The capabilities and requirements of the system must be properly defined and made transparent in order to increase the effectiveness of the future development of emerging technologies and their applicability to ocean energy technologies.
The transferability of solutions from another sector, as well as the development of new technologies and new materials, could have a significant impact on the speed of development of future emerging technologies for ocean energy.
The impact of future emerging technologies should be placed in the context of the priorities of the ocean energy sector identified in the Ocean Energy Roadmap and the SET Plan Implementation Plan.
Further analysis is needed to determine which options could have the greatest impact on the sector in terms of short-term goals (2025 goals) and long-term ambitions (100 GW capacity). installed by 2050).
This report presents the results of an international workshop on emerging energy technologies held in March 2019.
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