Power from the sea: a plan to develop ocean energy to meet consumer utility needs

Abstract

The Neptune Sciences, Inc. (NSI), Renewable Energy Group has developed a project management plan to develop Power from the Sea technologies in well defined phases. Using a multi-phase process, NSI will first provide renewable power solutions to military bases and then to residential communities, state and local businesses. The NSI Renewable Energy Group has focused their project management expertise in three types of renewable energy: Off-shore Wind Turbines (OSWTs); Current/Tide Energy Converters (C/TECs); and Wave Energy Converters (WECs). Solar is an area of planned expansion for the group. This paper includes an outline of the NSI Renewable Energy Group project management approach for WEC projects, a discussion of various wave technologies, including their states of development and commercialization potential, non-grid connected applications for WECs are discussed including distributed generation, power desalination plants, hydrogen generation, and beach erosion abatement. The NSI Wave Renewable Energy Group consists of experts in weather and wave modeling, environmental permitting, WEC performance modeling for project specific siting plans, and economic modeling, to determine an accurate forecast of the project cost of and internal rate of return. NSI uses the Distributed Integrated Ocean Prediction System (DIOPS) to estimate the wave in the customer's area of interest, to determine the ocean wave resource potential available for a particular customer. DIOPS allows for deep-water waves to be propagated across ocean basins, using the WAve Model (WAM), over the shelf, using a variety of nearshore wave models including Delft Hydraulics Simulating Waves Nearshore (SWAN), the Steady-state WAVE model (STWAVE), and the REFraction/DIFfraction model (REF/DIF). DIOPS can also propagate the resultant wave spectra into the surf zone, via the Navy Standard Surf Model (NSSM). Using an extensive database of WEC developers, NSI is able to determine the optimum performing and economically efficient WECs, which can be employed in the customer's operating area. At the same time, NSI has personnel experienced in obtaining the necessary environmental permits for installing the best performing WEC that conforms to the environmental sensitivities of the area. By using existing commercial technologies, and applying them to the customer's need, NSI is able to develop green energy solutions, which meet both the customer's power requirements and monetary budgets.