Making Wave Power a Reality

Here’s a quick update on tidal power.

Looks like PG&E is willing to place a bet on this emerging source of power. The California utility said last month that it would purchase power from a Canadian company that is trying to build the first U.S. commercial power plant that would transform the movement of the sea into electricity.

Finavera hopes to park eight power buoys about 2.5 miles offshore from Eureka, Calif. The so-called “wave park” is expected to be complete in 2012, and the project should put out about 2 megawatts, enough to power 1,500 homes.

But first, there are a few hoops for Finavera to jump through. First, it needs to line up enough financing for the project; having lined up PG&E as a customer will certainly help.

More importantly, the company has to perfect its AquaBuoy technology. The basic concept is fairly straightforward. The cylindrical buoys float upright in the water. A few feet stick out, but most of the device is underwater. As it rises and falls with the waves, the motion drives an internal pump that forces water through a turbine. The kinetic energy of the moving turbine is then converted into electricity and delivered to shore through an underwater cable.

Sounds simple, but there’s a lot of work involved in making this work. An earlier prototype that was deployed off the Oregon coast sunk last year. The company still doesn’t know why, and the waterlogged AquaBuoy remains on the ocean floor.