Joined: Mar 04, 2005 Posts: 2253 Location: New Zealand
Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 12:41 am Post subject: Green light for Cook Strait energy generator trial
Green light for Cook Strait energy generator trial
Quote:
Approval has been given for a marine energy trial in Cook Strait, which the project's backers believe has the potential to provide more than the country's current generation capacity.
Neptune Power has been granted resource consent for an experimental turbine capable of producing 1MW of power in 80m of water 4.5km off the south coast of Wellington.
Bathurst's calculations suggest there is enough tidal movement in Cook Strait to generate 12GW of power, more than one-and-a-half times New Zealand's present generation capacity.
nzherald _________________ Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe. H. G. Wells.
Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 9:49 am Post subject: Re: Green light for Cook Strait energy generator trial
Tidal power, drawing energy from the moons orbit. Relatively simple,
abundant and reliable. Definitely something that can help provide
power from coastal populations / industry.
And very easy to install I hear, just build them on land and wait a few
years for global warming (sea level rise)...
Seriously though, tidal power is pretty good stuff.
Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 12:22 am Post subject: Re: Green light for Cook Strait energy generator trial
steam_cannon wrote:
Tidal power, drawing energy from the moons orbit. Relatively simple,
abundant and reliable. Definitely something that can help provide
power from coastal populations / industry.
And very easy to install I hear, just build them on land and wait a few
years for global warming (sea level rise)...
Seriously though, tidal power is pretty good stuff.
Sure sounds good. From an extremely cursory skimming of articles re tidal power, it seems like it's still absolutely in it's infancy. Why is that? Cost? Technology only just catching up with theory? If it's so simple and can generate such massive amounts of electricity, why has it taken so long?
Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 7:22 am Post subject: Re: Green light for Cook Strait energy generator trial
yeahbut wrote:
Sure sounds good. From an extremely cursory skimming of articles re
tidal power, it seems like it's still absolutely in it's infancy. Why is that?
Cost? Technology only just catching up with theory? If it's so simple
and can generate such massive amounts of electricity, why has it
taken so long?
Because going to the moon is simple too, if you have a rocket fueled
up and ready to go!
Seriously though, there are a lot of mechanical challenges. It's
relatively simple, with the right materials. And it's kind of like
asking why people used nuclear and didn't just use the sun. Well,
it's taken a long time for concentrated solar power storing and
using thermal fluids just to get to where it is today. Many of these
technologies are improving.
I'm not sure that tidal power or wave power will ever be cheap
energy. But they will be used and obviously moving an ocean back
and forth represents a lot of energy. Some estimates suggest we
might increase our total electric production by 20%. That maybe
overly optimistic, but I think this is definitely an area that will see a
lot of growth.
Problem:
Quote:
Man VS Barnacles
The main reason tidal power isn't around in quantity is that lakes by
and large don't have enough motion to make it practical, placing it
in rivers can disrupt erosion patterns, and ocean water is incredibly
destructive to machinery. What isn't eaten by saltwater can be
coated in barnacles. However, with some recent materials
advances as well as the recent understanding of the adhesive
compounds generated by barnacles (between those and gecko
feet, we have a sticky future ahead), it may be that we'll be able to
tap the resource longer than before.
Polymer technology could speed ships by stopping critters clinging on.
Barnacles will no longer slow down ships if the latest polymer
coatings being developed live up to expectations...
The technique involves first coating a surface with a thick layer of a
styrene polymer — such as those used in the soles of running
shoes — and then slapping on a thin layer, just a few micrometres
thick, of the new polymer. This has been modified from a
commercially available product, mainly by adding fluorinated groups
to affect the surface properties of the plastic.
Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 11:41 pm Post subject: Re: Green light for Cook Strait energy generator trial
steam_cannon wrote:
Because going to the moon is simple too, if you have a rocket fueled
up and ready to go!
Fair enough, altho we did get to the moon 40 years ago(I realise that's a risky thing to say at PO.com but I'll chance it!), I guess it's been a matter of priorities and economics as well as technological limitations.
steam_cannon wrote:
I'm not sure that tidal power or wave power will ever be cheap energy.
It doesn't seem like it, but as you say, it will happen. Another example of how much energy costs when you actually have to generate it rather than just dig up some old plankton juice and set fire to it.
steam_cannon wrote:
Problem:
Quote:
Man VS Barnacles
The main reason tidal power isn't around in quantity is that lakes by
and large don't have enough motion to make it practical, placing it
in rivers can disrupt erosion patterns, and ocean water is incredibly
destructive to machinery. What isn't eaten by saltwater can be
coated in barnacles. However, with some recent materials
advances as well as the recent understanding of the adhesive
compounds generated by barnacles (between those and gecko
feet, we have a sticky future ahead), it may be that we'll be able to
tap the resource longer than before.
Polymer technology could speed ships by stopping critters clinging on.
Barnacles will no longer slow down ships if the latest polymer
coatings being developed live up to expectations...
The technique involves first coating a surface with a thick layer of a
styrene polymer — such as those used in the soles of running
shoes — and then slapping on a thin layer, just a few micrometres
thick, of the new polymer. This has been modified from a
commercially available product, mainly by adding fluorinated groups
to affect the surface properties of the plastic.
Yeah, having scrubbed a few boat hulls in my time I thought that might be one of the issues. Those little bastards just keep coming back...cool solution.
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in my time I thought that might be one of the issues. Those little bastards just keep coming back...cool solution.
