URI to play key role in wave project

By Mark N. Schieldrop/Independent Staff Writer

NARRAGANSETT — With the stroke of two pens, Rhode Island stands poised to be the first state in the country and one of the first places in the world to implement a system to generate electricity from the ebb and tide of ocean waves.

Heralding the development as a “great opportunity for energy independence,” Governor Carcieri signed a memorandum of understanding Tuesday with Tom Denniss, founder and executive director of Oceanlinx - an Australian-based company at the leading edge of wave-action power generation - at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography’s Narragansett Bay Campus.

At the same time, URI officials announced two major initiatives relating to ocean-based power generation: the Partnership for Energy and the URI Center of Excellence for Ocean Energies. Both initiatives lay the groundwork for a new research headquarters relating to ocean-based power generation, which aims to position the GSO as the world’s leading institution for ocean energy research.

The Oceanlinx plan, which projects to have the first generator in the water by next year to provide cheap power to residents of New Shoreham and additional generators off the coast of Point Judith a short time later, is the second component of the governor’s energy independence initiative, which includes plans to build offshore wind farms and to create a state-owned power authority, said Andrew Dzykewicz, chief energy adviser. Carcieri’s goal is for the state to develop at least 20 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2011.

“One of the things the governor said to me was that the Ocean State should find a way to get energy from its waters,” Dzykewicz said. “This is emerging technology which is rapidly being improved.”

In a brief presentation, Denniss, who said that his company has been researching the potential for building ocean energy generators in Rhode Island for “several years,” explained how the systems look and work.

Rising about 30 feet from the water and resembling a submerged tank with a bent chimney, the generators are tethered to the ocean floor with cords and float halfway submerged. Underneath, a large open chamber funnels air through a system of pipes, which, as waves rise and fall, spins a turbine at the end of the tube as the air pressure inside the chamber increases and decreases.

Oceanlinx’s major achievement - the company won accolades from the International Academy of Science in February - is a technological advancement that allows the turbine to keep spinning in the same direction even as the pressurized air changes direction with the wave action. The breakthrough essentially doubles the generator’s power production potential.

One generator could produce about 1.5 megawatts of electricity - enough to power roughly 1,500 homes. The Point Judith plan would consist of enough generators to produce about 15 to 20 megawatts. Narragansett could play a key role in bringing the power onshore as the host of a power substation receiving electricity from underground cables.

Denniss noted the system could be easily modified to use excess electricity to produce fresh water from salt water. In some locations around the world, the potential for desalinization is as vital as power generation.

With widespread opposition for wind projects, such as the stalled Cape Winds project off the coast of Cape Cod, the wave-based generators could prove an alternative.

Denniss lauded the state and the governor for a “progressive” stance on alternative energy and said that of all the political leaders he’s worked with, “this is one of the best responses we’ve had.”

The company has five energy projects in the works in addition to the Rhode Island plan, including such sites as United Kingdom, Hawaii, Namibia and off the coast of Sydney, Australia - a site which Denniss said has been meeting expectations after going online.

The Block Island and Point Judith projects would cost about $45 million and be paid for through general revenue bonds, Dzykewicz said. The bonds would potentially be repaid by revenues generated through the sale of electricity produced by the wave-energy machines.

Oceanlinx must obtain permits from the state Coastal Resources Management Council and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. What the permitting process will entail is unclear at this point, though, since FERC and CRMC have to create the regulations and standards for wave-energy projects before reviewing the project.

GSO Dean David Farmer said that the graduate school is ideally situated to participate in the project along with support from the university’s colleges of engineering, life sciences and arts and sciences. Already, the institution is world renowned for its research facilities and expertise in wind and waves. By collaborating with the state and Oceanlinx, Farmer said, the GSO can make significant contributions to the industry and help pioneer further advancements in the technology.

From underwater surveying technology to wind and wave modeling systems used by many industries, “there are vital skills we have right here at this university to be brought to bear on the development of the technology,” Farmer said.

But in the effort to be a world leader in ocean energy technology, Farmer said, the state needs to “act fast” in order not to be surpassed by competing institutions.

“We need to move fast. We should not fool ourselves - others recognize this opportunity,” Farmer said. “But we have some real competitive advantages here.”

Denniss first approached the state in the summer of 2003 when he submitted plans to the CRMC for a similar generator off the coast of Block Island. His company, then called Energetech, never filed a formal application. There seemed to be some initial opposition among fishermen who were concerned about potential navigation hazards.

A lot has changed in four years - higher fuel prices, greater interest in global warming and, most importantly, a major push from the governor’s office to find and develop renewable energy sources.

“One of the biggest issues we have as a nation is energy. Dependable, reasonably costing, predictable and reliable sources of energy,” Carcieri said. “Fossil fuels are declining and demand is exceeding reserves. Here in Rhode Island, we have nothing. We don’t have oil. We don’t have natural gas. We’re the end of the line.”

But one thing the Ocean State has no shortage of is ocean waves.

“We need to be more proactive and take control of our future,” Carcieri said, referring to both the wind power and wave power projects. “These aren’t perfect and there is never a perfect solution but, clearly, we need to be aggressive, focused and develop alternatives.”

Mark Schieldrop can be reached at schieldrop@scindependent.com.

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