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Home News-archive General Report outlines huge potential for New Zealand wave energy
| Report outlines huge potential for New Zealand wave energy |
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| Written by Administrator | |||
| Wednesday, 17 September 2008 13:43 | |||
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A new resource providing a comprehensive analysis of wave energy around the coast of New Zealand, as well as an in-depth analysis of selected wave and tidal hotspots has been published by the New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority and the Electricity Commission. The detailed assessment of New Zealand's marine energy potential was undertaken by MetOcean Solutions Ltd (MSL) and Power Projects Ltd (PPL) on behalf of the EEA, the Commission and Greater Wellington Regional Council. Commenting on the release of the report MetOcean Solutions said; "it is notable that nearly the entire west coast has, by international standards, a viable wave resource. What's more, generally being within 5 to 15 km of the shore, the wave resource is reasonably accessible for development. Whilst the east coast experiences large wave events, lower average wave energy flux than the west coast mean it will be less viable for development." In modeling the theoretical power outputs of two types of wave devices and providing a detailed resource overview, the report aims to help developers and planners to marry what a location offers with the available devices, or direct device design to meet the New Zealand opportunities. Devices must be built or selected based on location specific marine energy profiles. Different devices need different ranges of wave heights, wave lengths and orbital velocities for optimal power generation. They will also require different wave conditions to enable servicing. Some devices designed for European conditions, for instance, may not be suited to the NZ west coast environment. New Zealand also benefits from high energy tidal flows. The map of Cook Strait tidal hotspots vividly illustrates that energetic locations are conveniently located for the Wellington region on the North Island side of the Strait. The report presents a case study of potential developments in the Wellington coastal marine area.
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