Clean energy from wave and tideWe have recently learned that three companies have been selected for the innovative wave farm energy platform sited 10 miles off the coast of Cornwall.
So far £15m has been earmarked for the Wave Hub project, which could be generating electricity from 'wave power' within the next few years. The power generated by the platform will be fed to the National Grid by an underwater cable and could supply the needs of some 15,000 homes, it is claimed.
This development follows research carried out last summer that confirmed that the height of waves and current strengths off the north Cornish coast were suitable for the commercial generation of electricity.
The platform, located off St. Ives Bay at the mouth of St. Georges Channel, will initially act as a test site where the three companies concerned will be able to carry out large-scale testing before expanding to full commercial production.
Although the project has the backing of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Government have yet to fully endorse this initiative. Nothing new there then!
The selected companies intend installing and testing a range of wave energy generation devices on the platform. Further development and expansion will be based on lessons learned in respect of the performance of the different technologies deployed.
Similar test facilities have also been installed by American energy concerns off the coast of Hawaii and New Jersey, where current and wave conditions are similar to those off the north coast of Cornwall.
We enthusiastically endorse research and exploitation of electricity from wave, tide and current, for not only is it green, clean and endless, but with two thirds of the earth's surface being ocean, its horizons are endless!
