From Elizabeth Ingram, managing editor of Hydro Review:
Where does the MHK industry stand in North America today and where is it headed? Hydro Review asked two technology developers to discuss the work they have done so far and the potential breakthroughs on the horizon that could push this sector to commercialization.
Energy from the oceans (and rivers, using hydrokinetic devices) could be big business. In fact, 2014 data from the Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Wind and Water Power Program at the U.S. Department of Energy quantifies the potential energy resources around the country. Wave energy is quantified at 1,851 TWh/year, river current at 1,381 TWh/year, tidal current at 445 TWh/year, and ocean current at 200 TWh/year.
To help put these numbers into perspective, total electricity net consumption numbers from the U.S. Energy Information Administration reveal that in 2012 3,832 TWh of electricity were consumed. That’s right, there is enough potential in the above-mentioned U.S. waters to fully meet current consumption needs.
Given this atmosphere, we reached out to a couple of technology developers that are “making waves” in this sector of the hydropower industry, to find out the work that has gone into their technology to date and what they see for the future of MHK in North America.
You can read the Wave Energy Update about Columbia Power here: