Most of us are fascinated to watch a bore tide rushing into Turnagain Arm. The power of the single standing wave is self-evident. I recently joined nearly 100 people in Ketchikan at a conference focused on harnessing the ocean energy of Alaska. Tidal energy developers from as far as away as Florida and New York came together with utility officials, representatives from state and federal agencies, and dozens of interested locals to hear about the latest surge of technology development in what soon promises to be a multibillion-dollar industry.
An important impetus for the conference was a study recently completed by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), which examined seven places in North America and confirmed that Alaska has some of the best tidal energy resources on the continent. It also turns out we have huge energy potential in the waves off our shores and in the steady currents of large rivers like the Yukon. More important, the study predicted that large-scale commercial tidal projects located in the right spots will be capable of producing electricity at rates competitive with current generation technologies.
The two-day conference did an excellent job of sorting out the several ocean energy technologies currently under development. So far, four basic types of machines have been devised to convert wave energy to electricity, including a Scottish apparatus that became the first in the world to transmit electricity to shore last year and resembles a giant red sea snake. The technology innovations of the wind industry over the last 30 years have greatly benefited efforts to convert tidal energy to electricity, and most of the designs look like some form of underwater turbine. One prototype tidal project operated continuously at the European Marine Energy Center in the North Sea for almost three years, and another was just placed in the East River in New York City in December.
All ocean energy developers want to be the first to move their technology from the demonstration stage to commercialization. Among the factors driving increased investment in the sector are carbon regulation in Europe (and the inevitability of it in America) which is driving up the cost of coal-fired electricity, and the rising price of natural gas.
A keen sense of rivalry between coastal governments is now speeding up the race to become the center of ocean energy testing and expansion. Maine, California, Washington and Oregon all have state programs that are competing for federal research and development dollars. Less than two weeks ago I met a leading policy advisor from the Oregon Department of Energy who outlined that state's plan to become the nation's leader in wave energy. He described the creation of an Oregon Wave Energy Trust that includes the establishment of a world-class research facility and builds on the reputation of Oregon State University's existing wave research lab in Corvallis. His laundry list of reasons why Oregon is pursuing leadership in wave energy included energy security and growing and diversifying the state's local coastal economies.
Alaska has many natural advantages that should motivate us to work just as hard as other places in the world vying for leadership in ocean energy. First, Alaska has more coastline than the rest of the nation. Second, even the relatively high-cost electricity generated at today's demonstration projects is competitive with expensive diesel-generated electricity in many Bush communities. Third, Southeast Alaska has several outstanding tidal locations, and the Ketchikan Shipyard would be an ideal place to fabricate tidal hardware. Fourth, Alaska has scores of communities on large rivers with swift currents. And finally, Knik Arm combines a strong tidal current with access to Southcentral's large electrical load and is already attracting serious interest from Outside developers.
Kudos to the Alaska Energy Authority, Denali Commission and the several Southeast utilities that organized the Ketchikan conference. Let's hope our new governor joins the state Legislature in working to create a research and investment climate in Alaska that allows us to be competitive in the quest to develop the enormous, predictable energy of the sea.
Chris Rose is an attorney, mediator and executive director of the Renewable Energy Alaska Project. He lives in Sutton.
