Environment, Coasts, Oceans, & Infrastructure

​​Hello Everyone,
I'm interested in learning about successful projects that have implemented Wave/Tidal/Ocean Current related Hydraulic Energy Production in areas with low wave activity.  I know various systems exist that are able to harness energy from low wave activity and tides or currents, but I'd like to hear about the obstacles that had to be overcome to actually implement these systems.  I live and work on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and am very eager to see what it would take to get a system like this up and running here.  Thanks for any help that can be offered.


------------------------------
Matthew Hosey P.E., M.ASCE
Waggoner Engineering, Inc.
Gulfport MS
------------------------------

Hello Mathew,
Harnessing wave/tidal/current energy in areas with low environmental energy density is very challenging and I would also be interested to find out more about this subject. Although there are now many wave energy conversion patents, to my knowledge none is economically feasible in areas with low energy density (i.e. where there are only a few days of storm events/strong currents). From what I was able to derive I can say that the only way to utilize one of the available energy harnessing is by making it part of a multi purpose means, such as dissipation of wave energy for erosion reduction or jointly with a port breakwaters construction/repair. And please do not let anyone fool you with solutions such as multi rows of wave energy conversion devices all parallel to the coast, as once the energy is absorbed by the first row, it is reduced for the next one an so on. One of the promising energy conversion in the future in my view would be floating surfaces of solar energy conversion material, which still would need certain protection from wind/wave/current forces and consideration of the potential impacts of marine fouling and dust.
Truly,
Sergiu Dov ROSEN, Life member, ASCE

------------------------------
Dov Rosen P.E., M.ASCE
Sergiu Dov Rosen Sea Shore Rosen Engineering Consultants
Haifa
------------------------------

If not done so, perhaps one can begin by doing some simple estimates using the facts that wave energy density is proportional to H^2 (H is wave height); and tidal energy density is proportional to U^2 (U is current velocity). To have ideas of harvestable potential power, the estimates can be refined further by multiplying them with celerity and velocity, respectively. This will help to have a first-hand appraisal of the viability of wave and tidal power devices, if any for low energy environments. There are two documents you may consider consulting (the 2007 NOAA workshop proceedings, NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-F/SPO-92; and the 2010 NOAA workshop proceedings, NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-F/SPO-116). Although these two documents discuss environmental effects etc., there are some suitable technical discussions.

------------------------------
Dr. Dilip Barua, Ph.D, P.Eng, M. ASCE
Consultant - Coastal, Port and Marine Engineering
Vancouver, Canada
------------------------------