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Hans J Marter
18 December, 2009
SHETLAND could become the home of wave energy and a second
interconnector cable could be needed to export all the
electricity it generates to the UK mainland, it was claimed
yesterday (Thursday).
Representatives of developer Aegir Wave Power
Ltd said they were confident that the planned 600MW sub-sea
cable would be in place by 2014, enabling them to connect
the UK’s first commercial wave energy farm to the national
grid.
The company, a joint venture of Swedish utility Vattenfall
and Edinburgh-based renewable energy developer Pelamis Wave
Power, plans to deploy 26 Pelamis sea snakes, each with a
capacity of 750kW, in the waters west of Shetland’s south
end.
Visiting the isles to promote the multi million pound
development yesterday, Aegir said the new technology would
mature sufficiently over the next five years to become a
reliable source of green power.
The move could have huge implications for skilled jobs in
the isles and give Shetland a high profile in this rapidly
growing sector.
Vattenfall said it was determined to deliver on Scotland’s
commitment to reduce CO2 emissions by 42 per cent by 2020,
and 80 per cent by 2050.
The state-owned company has been ordered by the Swedish
government to become 100 per cent carbon free by 2050.
Yesterday Aegir project manager Clare Lavelle said the
interconnector being planned to export energy from Viking
Energy’s proposed wind farm created the ideal opportunity to
get a large scale wave project into the water quickly.
“We see the planned interconnector as a real opportunity, as
an early win for Shetland to ensure that Shetland gets the
early mover’s advantage and the skills set associated with
this new industry.
“Shetland has one of the best wave energy resources in the
world. The opportunity that presents makes it worth taking
an element of risk.
“We are confident that we can consent the project by 2014
and we are confident that the technology will be ready. We
are obviously dependent on the timescale of the
interconnector.
“We want to ensure that if and when the interconnector
arrives we are ready to be able to generate on to it,” she
said.
The company’s chief executive John Price added: “Our
discussions with Scottish & Southern Energy and the Scottish
government have given us the confidence that an
interconnector will be available when we need it.” |
Vattenfall’s head of group
function strategies, Dr Helmar Rendez, said sufficient
transmission capacity was a “prerequisite” to realising the
“vast” potential of wind and wave power in the isles.
Ms Lavelle went further, saying: “Once the interconnector
capacity is utilised then it would need another
interconnector to realise more wave power in Shetland.”
The Pelamis sea snakes have been developed by Pelamis Wave
Power and its predecessor Ocean Power Delivery.
The semi submerged pipes, each up to 170 meters long, are
moored by the nose so that the head of the machine points
into the waves. As the waves travel down the length of the
pipes, hydraulic ramps, similar to bicycle pumps, are
activated and drive high pressure hydraulic fluid through
motors to generate electricity.
Pelamis was the first company to produce electricity from an
offshore wave power prototype, off Orkney, in 2006.
The company then secured an order to deliver a number of
machines to Portugal which transmitted electricity into the
grid in 2008, before their customer Babcock & Brown pulled
the plug due to financial difficulties.
Max Carcas, business development director with Pelamis Wave
Power, said the company would test the next generation
machine P-2 at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in
Orkney next year.
“These tests are very much the focus for the project here in
Shetland. We envisage the P-2 to be the machine we will be
using in the commercial roll-out,” he said.
Asked if it was not too early to commit to a commercial site
when the machine was still in the test phase, Mr Carcas said
that thanks to the partnership with Vattenfall they were now
able to develop an early commercial site while still testing
the technology.
He added that he was “absolutely certain” that the project
would deliver in the timescale prescribed.
Neither Vattenfall nor Pelamis were willing to give precise
figures of their financial commitment other than saying that
once building commences it would cost significantly more
than the £60 million quoted elsewhere.
A precise location within the area between Fitful Head and
the southern tip of Burra has not been identified, according
to Ms Lavelle.
She said consultants had looked at a number of possible
sites were a cable could come ashore, but this depended on
where exactly the first wave farm was located.
The initial site would be between one and two square
kilometres in size and between one and nine kilometres
offshore. The most efficient location for the Pelamis wave
converter is in water depths of 70 metres or more.
Ms Lavelle said: “We think this is a fantastic opportunity
for Vattenfall to realise a project, but also for Shetland
to build up the skills set that they need to support that
industry.
“In the future there is a significant market in terms of
jobs. Wave energy is expected to deliver 25 per cent of
world energy demand.” |
