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Dr. Nguyen Tac An is former dean of the Vietnam Institute of Oceanography in Nha Trang and current Chairman of Vietnam’s branch of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC).
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An talked with the HCM City newspaper Thanh Nien about the potential for wave power development in Vietnam.
In 1973, An says, research began on wave power in some developed countries like the US, Portugal and France. In 2003, Portugal deployed the first 30 MW wave power plant. The production cost of wave power is equivalent to wind power, that is, about 10 US cents per kilowatt-hour.
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What is wave power?
Wave power is the capture of wave energy to do useful work, for example, electricity generation or water desalination.
An easy way to capture the already abundant energy in the ocean is through a simple air chamber. As the waves rise and fall in the chamber, they force air through the top, spinning a turbine which can be used in electricity generation. These chambers can be mounted on the shoreline, or they can be located out at sea as large floating buoys.
There are significant advantages to wave power. It is a truly renewable energy source, since it takes advantage of already occurring natural processes. In addition, wave power is relatively low cost once facilities are installed. Wave power facilities do not take up valuable land, as is the case with solar arrays and wind farms.
There are also some concerns about wave power. For example, critics claim that people will find the appearance of wave power facilities unpleasant, and that this form of power generation could ruin many excellent views or disturb sea creatures.
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Thanh Nien: How can we generate energy from waves?
Dr. Nguyen Tac An: If waves are one meter high along a 1.8 kilometer coast, we can produce around 35,000 horsepower of energy. If a wave is 3 meter high, it carries about 29 tons of energy per square meter of sea surface. There are various technologies to turn wave energy into electricity.
TN: What are the advantages of wave power?
An: Compared to hydropower, wave power doesn’t harm the environment, ecological systems or landscapes. Compared to nuclear power, investment in wave power is cheaper and it is safer and easier to operate. It’s a clean form of power.
We need to seek new energies in Vietnam urgently. I’m uneasy with the plans for nuclear power. Other countries only develop nuclear power when they can’t find other sources of energy.
TN: What is our potential to produce wave power?
An: In Vietnam, the potential energy resources from the sea are abundant. We have a long coast with thousands of islands so our resources of wave power is huge, especially in the central region and islands.
Experts estimate that the energy that can be extracted from one square meter of wave in Vietnam is among the highest in the world.
There have been some seminars and research here, but this opportunity has not yet gotten much attention. We still focus on thermal power, hydropower, and now wind and nuclear power.
TN: How can we produce wave power on a large scale?
An: We can develop this type of energy first of all on remote islands like the Truong Sa archipelago, Phu Quy in Binh Thuan province, Cu Lao Cham in Quang Nam province, Con Co in Quang Tri province and Hon Me in Thanh Hoa province.
We can import equipment to convert wave power into electricity to serve these islands. Oil rigs can also use this equipment to produce electricity, instead of using a diesel engine. If these small-scale works are successful, we can then implement on a bigger scale.
A long-term, State-sponsored strategy will encourage our scientists to research wave power. It is also important to encourage investors because at this moment, they are only interested in hydro power for its relatively low production cost and quick return on capital.
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More information about wave power:
The first known patent to utilise energy from ocean waves dates back to 1799. Modern scientific pursuit of wave energy was however pioneered by Yoshio Masuda, who in the 1940s tested various concepts of wave energy devices at sea, with several hundred units used to power navigation lights. Among these was the concept of extracting power from the angular motion at the joints of an articulated raft.
Interest in wave energy was renewed by the oil crisis in 1973, but when, in the 1980’s, the oil price went down, wave-energy funding was drastically reduced. Nevertheless, a few first-generation prototypes were tested at sea. More recently, as climate change issues have become prominent, there is again a growing interest worldwide for renewable energy, including wave energy, that does not release carbon into the atmosphere.
There are many types of wave power devices, generally categorized by the method used to capture the energy of the waves. Once the wave energy is captured at a wave source, power must be carried to the point of use or to a connection to the electrical grid by transmission power cables.
The world’s first commercial wave farm operated briefly in 2008 at the Aguçadora Wave Park in Portugal. It used three Pelamis P-750 machines with a total installed capacity of 2.25MW.
Funding for a 3MW wave farm in Scotland was announced in 2007 as part of a £13 million funding package for marine power in Scotland. The first of 66 machines was launched in May 2010.
Funding has also been announced for the development of a Wave hub off the north coast of Cornwall, England. The Wave hub will act as giant extension cable, allowing arrays of wave energy generating devices to be connected to the electricity grid. The Wave hub will initially allow 20MW of capacity to be connected, with potential expansion to 40MW. Four device manufacturers have so far expressed interest in connecting to the Wave hub.
Scientists have calculated that wave energy gathered at Wave Hub will be enough to power up to 7,500 households. The Cornwall wave power generator is expected to effect reductions of about 300,000 tons of carbon dioxide in the next 25 years.
A CETO wave farm off the coast of Western Australia has been operating to prove commercial viability and, after preliminary environmental approval, is poised for further development.
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M.D.A