Energy crisis gives new life to the idea of wave power

– This wave power plant will replace the power installations and power generators we have today.

The So Then Minister of Oil and Energy Kåre Kristiansen (KrF) when he opened the wave power plant at Toftøyna in Øygarden outside Bergen in 1985.

It’s been nearly 40 years since then and the Western Winter Storms have occurred Hell With the dream of the power of the waves.

It symbolizes the fact that all that remains of the facility at Toftøyna is concrete and rust elements rebar.

Meanwhile, new energy hopes are emerging: offshore wind, bioenergy, geothermal, solar, and hydrogen.

As the vision of the power of the waves and the power of the tides faded away.

Many people are now wondering if the frayed power state combined with new technology means that wave power diagrams have to appear from a desk drawer again.

– The Joker could be in an energy crisis

in the so-called interrogation Liberal representative Alfred Bjorlo asks what the minister and government will do to make Norway once again a leader in wave energy technology.

– Burlow tells NRK that the power of the wave could be a joker in the energy crisis we’re going through right now.

According to the European Energy Forum, wave energy can achieve 10 percent of electric power production in Europe by 2050.

in energy message, As the Norwegian parliament agreed in June, wave strength was discussed in positive terms, simply without particularly binding formulas.

Rapid technological development is taking place, Bjorlo adds, and that it is only a matter of time before they are “decoded”.

On Wednesday of this week, he will travel to Svane outside Floro, where Huffcraft Måløy is building a wave energy pilot plant in collaboration with the farming industry.

– My impression is that a lot of people think this is a good thing in theory, but that little has happened in practice. Perhaps the pilot project in Floro can give us better and more realistic answers, says Sophie Marhauge (Raudt) at the Parliament’s Energy and Environment Committee.

– We have to think about diversity in the energy mix

The director of the Millennium Development Goals Network, Arield Hermstad, is among those who witnessed the pilot project in Floro.

– This is a small scale plant of course that does not solve the entire energy crisis on its own, but it is one of many solutions that should be part of a diverse mix of energy sources.

He adds:

– The government should consider the possibilities of stimulating this type of solution. Wave power is not a quick fix, but we have to consider diversity in the power mix.

Reply from Fund of the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy in fact.

– We never close the door to new and exciting technologies like wave energy

Secretary of State Elizabeth Sather (AFP) in the Ministry of Oil and Energy

– In light of the difficult situation we are in with high electricity prices, we must be prepared for the fact that this situation will continue. So, when we plan for the long-term, more renewable energy is among the things that work. In the first place, we will choose the most inferior fruit, such as hydroelectricity, wind energy on land and sea, not least the development of solar energy. But we never close the door to exciting new technologies like wave energy. That’s why we created treatments in Norway that facilitate exactly this. Through various programs in the Research Council of Norway, Enova and Innovation Norway, it is possible to apply for support for the development and innovation of Norwegian wave energy technology. But it does require that the Norwegian research and technology community and the business world come up with relevant wave energy projects, and that these projects come into competition with other energy technology projects. However, in recent years, there has not been a particularly high interest from the power industry in developing wave energy.

SINTEF Energi and SINTEF Ocean have now partnered with a European start-up collaborative project Which will demonstrate the next generation testing methodology for wave power inverters, also called Power Take Offs.

to me fishing magazine Sintef Energi’s project manager, Hans Christian Pollstad, says the wave strength is “about 15 years behind the offshore wind”.

– Huge energy potential in wave and tidal power

Ola Al-Fistoin, MP for the Liberal Party and member of the Energy and Environment Committee

There is a huge energy potential in the power of waves and tides. Although the technological development and cost reduction has not been as fast as solar and wind energy, there has also been a strong development in wave and tidal energy. The tense power situation in Europe shows that it is very important to invest in wave and tidal power. This is an important climatic measure. In the fight to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees, huge amounts of renewable energy are needed. To achieve this, it is also necessary to develop large and stable energy sources such as tidal energy and wave power.

Knut Wegerdingstadt, Statcraft

Statkraft is positive about wave and tidal power if it can be profitably and environmentally friendly, but we have no plans to invest in this technology right now. Statkraft’s investment area in the future does not include wave/tidal power, but water, wind and green hydrogen. The goal is to develop up to 30 gigawatts of new renewable production capacity before the end of the decade. This means that over the next eight years, Statkraft can increase its total energy production by up to 50 percent of the day, to about 100 TWh.

Higher energy prices and more robust solutions can make marine energy competitive

– Large wave and tidal water resources mean that Norway has special prerequisites for developing this technology, says Energi Noreg’s Director of Renewable Energy, Eivind Heløe.

He notes that a green transition requires “a whole host of new renewable technologies,” and that “tidal power is probably one of these.”

– The physical stress on the plant meant the technology was not competitive. He says higher energy prices, along with extensive research efforts in this area, are likely to change this.

The Nature Conservancy’s president, Trols Julesen, says that a lot has happened since the 1980s-prone to “wedge-channel technology” and that he trusts more in “float-based methods” (see image below).

– I still have faith that wave power can contribute valuable energy, he says.

– We are going through a bad time

Progress Party Energy and Environment Committee member Marius Arion Nielsen explains that the prerequisite for all public investments must be profitable.

– The role of politicians is to facilitate good framework conditions for the development of power, while industry has the technological competence to drive development forward, he says.

Zero Environmental Foundation director, Sigrun Aasland, told NRK that “no technologies should be neglected,” but time required quick and familiar solutions.

– There is a lot of searching for creative solutions now. But we are short on time and already know what we have to do: energy efficiency and the development of solar, wind and hydropower. We can’t avoid that, which is urgent.