The technology
How does wave power work?
What is the potential for wave power?
What is the main advantage of wave power compared with other renewable kinds of energy?
How do you choose locations? What places are the best for wave power?
The environment
How can wave power effect the environment?
The business and strategy
What share of the electricity mix can wave power have in Europe and at Vattenfall?
How much is Vattenfall investing in wave energy over other forms of energy?
How will Vattenfall proceed with wave power?
The technology
How does wave power work?
In a wave power plant, the movements of the water are used to convert the energy from the waves into electricity. There are different ways of doing this, and Vattenfall is currently working with three different wave power technologies.
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What is the potential for wave power?
In Europe alone you can theoretically generate a couple of thousand TWh per year from wave power, although only 10 percent of this is realistic. Still, those 10 per cent is more than the total annual electricity generation in Sweden. Vattenfall’s vision is for wave power to account for 5-10 percent of our total electricity generation by 2030.
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What is the main advantage of wave power compared with other renewable kinds of energy?
Wave power has the greatest potential for becoming a commercial energy source in the near future, and has particularly high potential in our part of the world. The ocean is virtually an inexhaustible source of energy, with around 20 times more energy concentration than wind. In Europe alone there is a theoretical potential of generating 2,000 TWh a year, which is enough to meet the electricity needs of 300-400 million people. Realistically, it is believed that it is possible to extract around 10 percent of this potential.
Compared with wind, waves produce energy over a longer period of time; winds rise quickly, while waves build up slowly. Waves also remain for a longer period of time after a storm. This means that wave power complements wind power in a good way. In addition, research has already shown that wave power has little impact on the environment and animal life.
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How do you choose locations? What places are the best for wave power?
The west coasts of Europe are some of the most suitable places in the world to extract wave power. In general, the most suitable places for wave power are the western coastal areas in the temperate zones in the world, including the west coasts of Norway, Great Britain and Ireland. In these areas there is a steady westerly wind, which offers good conditions to extract wave power. Temperature changes result in strong winds, which in turn create large waves.
The environment
How can wave power effect the environment?
Wave power is a renewable source of energy that entails very low emissions of carbon dioxide and any substances harmful to nature. Wave power units are also relatively small and placed off the coast; they will only be visible when you get up close. The most obvious intrusion in nature is that they will take up surface space. One of the most important things to do when installing wave power is to, at an early stage, identify the environment where the plant will be located.
This is done in order to ensure that the environment, animal life, tourism, fishing or military activity are not disturbed. We are also looking at whether any noise affects the surrounding environment in a negative way. From previous research carried out at Uppsala University, Sweden, we know that the animals and wildlife do not seem to be harmed by these power plants, rather the opposite.
The wave power plant creates artificial reefs where animals like crabs can live. At the same time we have to remember that wave power is a young technology that we are currently testing and evaluating at our various test plants. This work is taking place in close cooperation with universities and researchers.
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The business and strategy
What share of the electricity mix can wave power have in Europe and at Vattenfall?
Our vision is for wave power to account for 5-10 percent of Vattenfall’s total electricity generation by 2030. We know that the potential for wave power is vast and that it will represent a very large part of the future electricity mix. In Europe alone you can theoretically generate a couple of thousand TWh per year from wave power, although only 10 percent of this is realistic. Still, those 10 per cent, approximately 250 TWh, is more than the total electricity generation in Sweden, which is 135 TWh per year.
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How much is Vattenfall investing in wave energy over other forms of energy?
We are mostly performing commercial investments where we can expect good returns. Wave power is still not there, so the figure is still relatively low compared to the cost of maintaining and improving existing power plants. We are currently in a R&D phase and the large investments in wave power lie ahead of us as wave power becomes commercial.
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How will Vattenfall proceed with wave power?
Vattenfall has the ambition to become a world-leading player within wave power; it is an important step in our strategy of becoming a climate-neutral company by 2050. Our primary goal is to develop commercial wave power sites in several locations in Europe. We will cooperate with different actors and apply technologies appropriate for specific conditions at site. Our wave power projects are yet in a development phase. However, Vattenfall’s vision is for wave power to account for 5-10 percent of our total electricity generation by 2030.
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