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| Fri, 10th Apr 2020 13:54:00 |
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Life After Covid-19, Part II: Secret Renewable Energy Weapon Lurks Beneath Waters of the US |
For all the nice (and not-so-nice) things people say about hydropower, the chances of building a new fleet of hydropower dams in the US are slim to none. However, there is still plenty of untapped renewable energy to be scoured from running water — and the US Department of Energy is determined to pry it loose with $38 million for a newly announced research program. The new announcement lends additional support to the prospects for deploying renewables as an economic recovery strategy in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.
More & Better Renewable Energy From Water
As for where this mysterious new source of water-based renewable energy lies, that's the easy part — and the hard part. It takes the form of ambient water flowing in rivers and tidal currents, aka hydrokinetic energy.
Estimates of hydrokinetic potential in the US vary considerably, but according to one analysis it is technically feasible to harvest up to 334 terawatt-hours annually (yes, that's terawatts) from tidal streams in US waters, and another 120 terawatt-hours annually from river currents.
The problem is that hydrokinetic technology as it exists today is not quite ready for the mass market. Falling costs for wind and solar power have ramped up the competition in the renewable energy field, making it difficult for other alternatives to grab a toehold.
Nevertheless, the Energy Department is convinced that the nation's future energy profile would be strengthened by a robust hydrokinetic sector.
For starters, hydrokinetic sites would dovetail with the nation's population distribution, with large numbers of people and economic activity concentrated near riverbanks and coasts. Hydrokinetic devices could also help support microgrids in remote areas.
Riverine and tidal flows are also reliable and forecastable over long periods of time, which is a plus for grid planning. Even better, they have their own unique seasonal and daily variations, so they would complement rather than duplicate the output of wind and solar facilities.
The Energy Department is also eyeballing the technology export market. Aside from grid usage, they cite opportunities in the Blue Economy described by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. The list of potential off-grid applications includes climatological observation, aquaculture, desalination, ocean floor and seawater mining, disaster recovery, powering isolated communities, and autonomous underwater vehicle support.
Read original full article
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