Ecotricity, a UK green energy company,  is developing a radical Wave power device called Searaser – which it believes can address two of the biggest barriers to the deployment of renewable energy on the scale that Britain needs – the issues of cost and intermittent output.

Searaser is the brainchild of British engineer Alvin Smith; it harnesses the power of ocean swells to create electricity. Ecotricity founder Dale Vince said: “Our vision is for Britain’s electricity needs to be met entirely from the big three renewable energy sources – the Wind, the Sun and the Sea.

Until now, the Sea has been the least viable of those three energy sources and we believe that Searaser will change all of that. Indeed we believe Searaser has the potential to produce electricity at a lower cost than any other type energy, not just other forms of renewable energy but all ‘conventional’ forms of energy too.”

Inventor Alvin Smith said the main barrier to making wave-power efficient and therefore cost-effective – was resilience against the hostile ocean environment.

“Most existing wave technologies seek to generate electricity in the sea itself. But as we know water and electricity don’t mix – and seawater is particularly corrosive – so most other devices are very expensive to manufacture and maintain.

“But Searaser doesn’t generate the electricity out at sea. It simply uses the motion of the ocean swell to pump seawater through an onshore generator.”

Searaser pumps seawater using a vertical piston between two buoys – one on the surface of the water, the other suspended underwater and tethered to a weight on the seabed. As the ocean swell moves the buoys up-and-down the piston pumps volumes of pressurised seawater through a pipe to an onshore turbine to produce electricity.

This opens up the additional option for Searaser units to be used to supply energy on-demand. By pumping seawater into coastal storage reservoir, it can be released through a generator as required – thus making not just energy from the Sea but energy that can be turned on and off as required. Such a system will go a long way to solving the problem of renewable energy’s naturally intermittent output on Britain’s electricity grid.

Ecotricity’s move into wave power comes as the Government and the Crown Estate make changes that they hope will encourage more development of wave-power in Britain.

From January 2012, the Crown Estate – which owns the seabed surrounding the UK – has reduced the burden of financial guarantees it requires from wave and tidal developers to obtain a lease option from £25 million to £5 million.

Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker said: “Marine Energy is a real priority for the coalition government.

“It’s great news that Ecotricity are now making waves in marine power with their plans for Searaser. The UK leads the world in developing marine energy technology and it’s vital that the sector continues to bring forward innovative new technologies.

“Marine energy is becoming an increasingly attractive investment for businesses, not least because we are proposing more than a doubling of financial support to the sector through the ROCs scheme.”

Vince said Ecotricity’s investment will drive the next phase of Searasers’ development, by having a commercial scale Searaser in the Sea within 12 months and 200 Searaser units around the British coastline within five years.  Vince said: “The potential is enormous. This is a British invention that could transform the energy market not just here in Britain but around the world. Our plan is to develop the technology and make them here in Britain, bringing green jobs as well as green energy to our country.”

Pelamis Wave Power, a leading ocean power company based in Leith, UK has placed itself on the market according to several British newspapers.  The company is hoping to attract the interest of a  UK buyer such as BAE Systems or Rolls Royce if possible, that has the approximately U.S. $31 million required to bring their technology to the fruition.  The level of investment required over the next few years may mean that other companies such as Siemens of Germany, Caterpillar of the US, Swiss firm ABB and Alstom of France may have  to be courted as well.

Pelamis chief executive Per Hornung Pedersen said: “We have reached the stage where it makes most sense to look for financial support from a large engineering company rather than to seek further investment from venture capital groups.

NOAA Photo

You won’t find Spirobranchus giganteus, also known as the Christmas tree worm, eating your fir tree this year. The common name for these worms is derived from their appearance, not their habitat or diet.

Each worm has two brightly colored crowns that protrude from its tube-like body. These Christmas tree-like crowns are composed of radioles, or hair-like appendages radiating from the worm’s central spine. These appendages are used for respiration and to catch dinner, which typically consists of microscopic plants, or phytoplankton, floating in the water.

These worms are sedentary, meaning that once they find a place they like, they don’t move much. In fact, while the colorful crowns of these worms are visible, most of their bodies are anchored in burrows that they bore into live coral. When startled, Christmas tree worms rapidly retract into their burrows, hiding from would-be predators.

Christmas tree worms come in a variety of bright colors. They aren’t very big, averaging about 1.5 inches in length. However, because of their distinctive shape, beauty, and color, these worms are easily spotted. They are some of the most widely recognized polycheates, or marine burrowing, segmented worms out there.

Just a great ocean fact for your holiday season!

Source: NOAA

The offshore marine energy project in Cornwall, which allows developers to test new wave energy technology, will be taken on by the Government to secure its future as a vital part of the UK’s green energy sources. Wave Hub provides a shared offshore infrastructure for the demonstration and proving of arrays of wave energy generation devices over a sustained period of time.  It consists of an electrical hub on the seabed 16 kilometres off the north coast of Cornwall in South West England to which wave energy devices can be connected.  The 12-tonne hub is linked to the UK’s grid network via a 25km, 1300 tonne subsea cable operating at 11kV.

The UK Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) will take over ownership of the Wave Hub asset from the South West Regional Development Agency (RDA) on the 1 January 2012.

To manage the day-to-day operation of the testing facility on its behalf, BIS has set up a stand-alone operating company, Wave Hub Limited, which will be based in Hayle, Cornwall. This arrangement will allow the project to build on the operational plans already put in place by the RDA.

BIS and the RDA have been discussing the Wave Hub’s future since closure of the RDA was confirmed by the Government last summer. BIS has always recognised Wave Hub’s unique position as a nationally-important asset to develop the UK’s capacity to generate energy through the power of ocean waves.

Business Minister Mark Prisk said “As part of the transition to a green economy the Government is committed to developing clean energy sources including marine. Development of the Wave Hub in Cornwall will bring both environmental and economic benefits to the UK and I am pleased that we are able to take this positive step today.”

Claire Gibson has been confirmed as Wave Hub’s permanent General Manager having acted in an interim capacity since May. She said: “This is good news for Wave Hub, for Cornwall and the South West and for the future of wave energy development across the UK.

“It secures Wave Hub’s status as a publicly-owned asset, ensures it will continue to be locally run, and reinforces the pivotal role of Wave Hub and Cornwall to the development of a commercial marine energy industry in the UK.

“I am delighted to be leading this important project and am absolutely committed to ensuring Wave Hub is a success – supporting companies to prove their technology and delivering economic benefit for Cornwall. I look forward to welcoming our first customer at Wave Hub in the near future.”

Source: BIS press release

Against what many would call astronomical odds, a small midwestern U.S. company, Tremont Electric, has been granted US Patent 8,022,563 for the nPower® Wave Energy Converter (WEC), a commercial scale application of Tremont Electric’s nPower® kinetic energy harvesting technology.

We are proud to put Cleveland, Ohio at the cutting edge of clean energy technology with this new patent,” said inventor, founder, and CEO Aaron LeMieux. “The nPower® WEC is capable of providing commercial scale electricity to the grid from the constant wave motion of major bodies of open water, not just here in the Great Lakes, but in the ocean.”

Built the size of an automobile, the nPower® WEC is poised to re-purpose the manufacturing base of the Midwest into the clean energy jobs of the future. “Our vision is to put Northeast, Ohio at the top of the new clean energy economy,” says LeMieux. “With the nPower® PEG, our consumer hand-held electronics recharger, and now with nPower® WEC, Tremont Electric is ready to bring green jobs to Cleveland, today.”

About Tremont Electric, Inc.

Tremont Electric is a Green Plus certified sustainable company dedicated to providing renewable energy to consumers around the world through a kinetic energy harvesting technology called nPower®. nPower® uses the energy of motion to power devices without using fossil fuels or generating emissions. The nPower® PEG, the first of multiple nPower® applications, allows individuals to charge their hand-held electronics from the energy they create while walking, running, or hiking.

Source: Tremont Electric

The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force today released its final strategy for long term ecosystem restoration for the Gulf Coast, following extensive feedback from citizens throughout the region. EPA Administrator and Task Force Chair Lisa P. Jackson, partnering with Task Force Co-Chair Garret Graves, made the announcement today during keynote remarks at the 2011 State of the Gulf of Mexico Summit in Houston. Administrator Jackson was joined by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrator Jane Lubchenco, Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley, USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Harris Sherman and several other Task Force members.

The Task Force delivered the final strategy on Friday, Dec. 2 to President Barack Obama, who established the Task Force by executive order, to continue the Administration’s ongoing commitment to the Gulf region. The group is made up of representatives from the five Gulf States and 11 federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, White House Council on Environmental Quality, Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of the Interior, Department of Justice, Department of Transportation, Office of Management and Budget, Office of Science and Technology Policy and White House Domestic Policy Council.

The strategy is the first restoration blueprint ever developed for the Gulf to include input from states, tribes, federal agencies, local governments and thousands of involved citizens and organizations across the region. The plan represents a commitment by all parties to continue to work together in an unprecedented collaboration to prepare the Gulf region to transition from response to recovery and address the decades-long decline that the Gulf’s ecosystem has endured.

“After the Deepwater Horizon disaster, this Task Force brought together people from across the Gulf Coast in unparalleled ways to talk about how we tackle both the immediate environmental devastation, as well as the long-term deterioration that has for decades threatened the health, the environment and the economy of the people who call this place home. It has all come to this moment – when we move from planning and researching to supporting real, homegrown actions aimed at restoring this vital ecosystem,” said Administrator Jackson.

With the release of the final strategy today, the Task Force marks the beginning of the implementation phase of the strategy by announcing new initiatives, including $50 million in assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to help agricultural producers in seven Gulf Coast river basins improve water quality, increase water conservation and enhance wildlife habitat.

USDA’s multi-year environmental restoration effort, known as the Gulf of Mexico Initiative, or GoMI, represents a 1,100% increase in financial assistance for Gulf priority watersheds.

“Restoring the Gulf Coast ecosystem needs to begin immediately and USDA’s assistance is an important first step in placing the Task Force strategy into action”, said USDA Under Secretary Harris Sherman. “This collaborative voluntary effort will leverage contributions and commitments from farmers, communities, and all levels of government to improve water quality. A healthy water supply is not only vital for the people of the Gulf, but also for the estuaries, fisheries, and wildlife that are the foundation of the local economy.”

The Task Force has also begun reviewing existing policy, program and regulatory issues that are slowing down restoration progress, particularly in the habitat restoration area. The Task Force will continue to explore innovative ways to implement restoration, measure success and support the restoration with science.

Additionally, the Task Force will also open a local office, headed by Task Force Executive Director John Hankinson, in the Gulf Coast in mid-December.

Representatives from across the Gulf voiced their support for the work of the Task Force.

“To ensure the future health of the Gulf, its economy, and its residents, the nation must start the work of creating a sustainably healthy and productive landscape and seascape – not only stopping the ongoing degradation but beginning the process of reversing that which has already occurred” said Senator Bob Graham and William K. Reilly, Co-Chairs of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling. “Working with the people of the Gulf, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force has undertaken the challenge of developing an ecosystem restoration strategy to guide the long term collaboration necessary to reverse the trend of environmental degradation in the Gulf. The country needs to make the commitments called for. And it needs to make them now.”

“The Task Force went to great lengths to involve local leaders in the fact finding process leading up to the release of the report” said Mayor Randy Roach of Lake Charles, Louisiana. “When you read the report it is obvious that they listened to what they heard and addressed our concerns in a very straightforward manner. This report is an important document that outlines the challenges of recovery and the opportunities we have to develop a true intergovernmental approach to address the needs and interests of the people of the Gulf Coast region.”

“The Task Force’s Strategy clearly recognizes the critical importance of the Gulf natural resources to our regional economy and workforce,” said Michael Hecht, President and CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. “In partnership with all Gulf Coast states and several federal agencies and with full input from key parties throughout the region the Task Force has detailed a specific list of coastal restoration priorities that protects the businesses and individual livelihoods along the coast and across the country, in the fishing, shipping, energy production and tourism industries, that are reliant upon a vital Gulf coast.”

“For the first time in man’s history on earth, what we do, can and will determine the fate of one of the world’s great treasures. The choice is ours”, said Dr. Larry McKinney, Executive Director of the Harte Research Institute in Corpus Christi, Texas.

The natural resources of the Gulf’s ecosystem are vital to many of the region’s industries that directly support economic progress and job creation, including tourism and recreation, seafood production and sales, energy production and navigation and commerce. Among the key priorities of the strategy are:

 1) Stopping the Loss of Critical Wetlands, Sand Barriers and Beaches

The strategy recommends placing ecosystem restoration on an equal footing with historic uses such as navigation and flood damage reduction by approaching water resource management decisions in a far more comprehensive manner that will bypass harm to wetlands, barrier islands and beaches. The strategy also recommends implementation of several congressionally authorized projects in the Gulf that are intended to reverse the trend of wetlands loss.

2) Reducing the Flow of Excess Nutrients into the Gulf

The strategy calls for working in the Gulf and upstream in the Mississippi watershed to reduce the flow of excess nutrients into the Gulf by supporting state nutrient reduction frameworks, new nutrient reduction approaches, and targeted watershed work to reduce agricultural and urban sources of excess nutrients.

3) Enhancing Resiliency among Coastal Communities

The strategy calls for enhancing the quality of life of Gulf residents by working in partnership with the Gulf with coastal communities. The strategy specifically recommends working with each of the States to build the integrated capacity needed through effective coastal improvement plans to better secure the future of their coastal communities and to implement existing efforts underway.

The final strategy was developed following more than 40 public meetings throughout the Gulf to listen to the concerns of the public. To review the final strategy, please visit: www.epa.gov/gulfcoasttaskforce

W2 Energy, Inc.,  a developer of green energy, is pleased to announce it has completed construction of the WaterHelix hydrokinetic power head.

OnNovember 1, 2010, W2 Energy purchased pending patents 12/508,990 and 12/696,631, representing designs for a new hydrokinetic power system.This purchase agreement required W2 Energy to build a working version of what it calls the WaterHelix by November 1, 2011, which it has done.

The WaterHelix will form the power head of the W2 Energy Small Energy Generating System (SEGS).The WaterHelix can be deployed anywhere there is moving water – rivers, streams, ocean coastlines and even in water outlets at industrial locations such as power plants.

“We think the WaterHelix represents the next generation of hydropower,” says Mike McLaren, President and CEO of W2 Energy. “It’s invisible to those on land and the fish can swim around it. We expect to sell and build small and large WaterHelix systems around the world.  ”W2 Energy trades in the United States on the OTC market under the symbol “WTWO.”<p>

Voith Hydro Wavegen, the Inverness-based marine energy company, has cause to celebrate after successfully handing over the world’s first full life wave power plant into commercial operation.  The ocean renewable energy industry is moving to the next level with the completion of the  first grid-connected marine power plant in Spain.

Wavegen was the first company in the world to develop a commercial-scale, grid-connected wave energy plant in 2000 when they installed the LIMPET on Islay.  This plant has now been successfully operating for eleven years as a demonstrator project.

Now they’ve achieved another first by selling the first commercial wave power plant to Ente Vasco de la Energía, the Basque Energy Board in the North of Spain.

Matthew Seed, CEO of Voith Hydro Wavegen, welcomed the announcement, saying:  “This is very exciting news, not just for our company, but for the whole marine energy sector.  This major milestone is a demonstration of just how far the industry has developed in recent years.”

“We are delighted to have developed the first wave power plant to be sold on a commercial basis and we’re also delighted to have provided the technology for the first grid-connected wave power plant in Spain – a country with enormous potential for wave energy.”

The 300kW wave power plant, consisting of 16 turbines, is housed within a breakwater at the port of Mutriku.  It has been designed for a 25 year operational life and will provide electricity for 250 homes.

During commissioning and acceptance testing the plant has produced 100MWh and has now been formally handed over to the client. It has been supplied with standard commercial guarantees for performance and availability.

The power plant used technology developed and supplied by Voith Hydro Wavegen in a contract worth 1.2 million euros (1 million pounds).

Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said: “Scotland is leading the development of wave and tidal energy, using our skills and expertise to help Scotland – and the world – develop marine power. This welcome announcement by Inverness-based Wavegen highlights the progress being made towards full commercialisation of wave and tidal technologies.”

The company is also behind the UK’s only fully consented wave energy project at Siadar on the West coast of Lewis.  As Matthew Seed explained: “We believe our success in Spain clearly demonstrates our ability to deliver projects.  We have unrivalled expertise and experience, and we will continue to harness those skills to move forward on our other projects.”

The company is in discussion with a number of companies to develop projects in other parts of the world.

2011 Sustainable Energy Awards Shortlist Announced

Thirty six Irish companies and organisations that have introduced effective sustainable energy initiatives have been shortlisted for the 2011 Sustainable Energy Awards. The Awards, presented by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and sponsored by ESB Electric Ireland, provide an opportunity for organisations, regardless of size or sector, to gain public recognition for their achievements in reducing energy use and CO2 emissions.

Amongst the most well known shortlisted organisations who are leading the way in sustainable energy are University College Cork (UCC), Green Isle Foods, the National Aquatic Centre and Croke Park. All have successfully introduced sustainable energy initiatives which have seen them benefit from substantial energy and cost savings.

The National Aquatic Centre installed over 40 variable speed drives on their air handling units and water pumps. In total, the Centre achieved energy savings of 11% on gas and 27% on electricity in the five months since the initiative was implemented. This reduction in energy use was achieved with no impact on the building’s operational environment or to the public.

The introduction of a heat recovery system at Green Isle Food’s Sligo plant saw thermal energy use reduce by 72%, and the installation of a ground water source heat pump at UCC will lead to avoided CO2 emissions of up to 56% per annum.

Each of the 105 entries submitted to the Energy Awards were evaluated on the vision and objectives behind the project or initiative, the drivers and business case, the innovation and approach, the successful implementation, and the demonstrated energy savings, reduced CO2 emissions and replication potential. The winners will be announced from the 36 shortlisted entries at a gala event in Dublin on 24th November 2011.

Other notable entrants include EMC2 Information Systems International, which is nominated in three categories (Integrated Energy Management Award for Major Users; Energy Manager of the Year Award; and the Energy Awareness Award) and Bostik Industries Ltd, which is also nominated for three awards (Energy Efficiency Award for Small to Medium Users; Energy Management Award for Small to Medium Users and Energy Awareness Award)

2011 Sustainable Energy Awards Shortlist

Category A – Energy Efficiency Award for a Small to Medium Users

•Green Isle Foods (Gurteen)

•Fingal County Council

•Bostik Industries Ltd

•Friends First Life Assurance Company Ltd

Category B – Energy Management Award for Small to Medium Users

•Muiriosa Foundation (Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary)

•Techrete (Ireland) Ltd

•Recordati Ireland Ltd

•Bostik Industries Ltd

Category C – Energy Efficiency Award for Major Users

•National Aquatic Centre

•Radio Telefís Éireann (RTE)

•Páirc an Chrócaigh Teo

•Dublin Port Company

•Electrical & Pump Services Ltd. T/A EPS Group

•Novartis Ringaskiddy Ltd

•EMC2Information Systems International

Category D – Integrated Energy Management Award for Major Users

•Transitions Optical

•GlaxoSmithKline

•EMC2Information Systems International

•Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland

Category E – Energy Manager of the Year Award for Major Users

•Astellas Ireland Company Ltd (Kerry Plant)

•Lisheen Mine

•University College Cork (UCC)

•EMC2Information Systems International

Category F – Renewable Energy Systems Award

•Eco Life Energy

•University College Cork (UCC)

Category G – Energy Awareness Award

•Pfizer Ireland Pharmaceuticals

•Dairygold Food Ingredients

•EMC2 Information Systems International

•Bostik Industries Ltd

Category H – Energy Sustainability in the Build Environment Award

•Building Design Partnership (BDP)

•Building Design Partnership (BDP)

•Tralee Town Council (Kerry County Council)

Category I – Sustainable Energy Innovation Award

•Cylon Active Energy Ltd

•Kerry County Council

•Irish Aviation Authority

•Friends First Life Assurance Co. Ltd

Scientists at the University of Maine have been awarded $201,187 for the first year of an anticipated three-year $574,028 project to investigate methods that would provide early warning detection of toxic Alexandrium blooms, also known as red tides, in the Gulf of Maine.

Some species of Alexandrium algae produce a toxin that can become concentrated in shellfish tissue. Eating shellfish tainted with this toxin can lead to paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), a potentially fatal human illness. This project will allow scientists to detect and measure levels of toxic Alexandrium cells in water samples, providing Maine officials with an early warning of increased potential of PSP contamination in shellfish. The project could pave the way to similar projects in other regions affect by harmful algal blooms.

According to Dr. Laurie Connell of the University of Maine School of Marine Sciences and project lead, “The ability to directly detect toxic Alexandrium species using the inexpensive monitoring devices we have developed will increase Maine’s ability to focus limited resources to areas that are either emerging ‘PSP hot spots’ or to safely allow for targeted closures of shellfish harvests focusing only on impacted beds. Our project will serve as a demonstration model for other state and local agencies for the implementation of these detection platforms.”

Darcie Couture, director of biotoxin monitoring at the Maine Department of Marine Resources said, “I am excited to partner on this effort as it has great potential to deliver to our program new, effective technology for monitoring HABs in the field, while keeping operating costs within a workable range for a state program.”

“These resources will enable the University’s world-class scientists and students, in collaboration with the critically important Biotoxin Monitoring program at Maine’s Department of Marine Resources, to explore cost-effective ways to properly detect the spread of red tide in the Gulf of Maine,” said U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe of Maine. “The technological advances made by research like this, along with continued funding for shellfish monitoring programs, will ensure that our state’s hardworking harvesters have all the tools at their disposal to ensure the continued success of this vital fishery. While we have made great strides in bloom prediction and monitoring, it is clear these problems are continuing to increase in magnitude and demand our ongoing commitment and attention.”

This project was funded to the University of Maine through a national competition of the Monitoring and Event Response of Harmful Algal Blooms (MERHAB) program run by NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science. Research will be carried out at the University of Maine with research partners at the Maine Department of Marine Resources Biotoxin Monitoring Program. These monitoring advancements will improve capabilities and cut costs for the red tide forecast system (October 19 announcement), a NOAA investment in New England to protect public health and jobs, and coastal economies.

The MERHAB program was first authorized by the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act (HABHRCA) of 1998. HABHRCA was last reauthorized in 2004. HABHRCA calls for advancement in the scientific understanding and the ability to detect, monitor, assess, and predict harmful algal bloom and hypoxia events.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources.

British tidal energy company, Marine Current Turbines Ltd, today announces that Siemens is increasing its share in the company to 45%.

“With this increase in its stake, Siemens is strengthening its activities in ocean power generation. We will actively shape the commercialization process of innovative marine current power plants,” said Michael Axmann, CFO of the newly founded Solar & Hydro Division within Siemens’ Energy Sector.

Marine Current Turbines (MCT) has evolved from a pioneer to a technology leader in horizontal axis marine current turbines and now has 25 employees. In February 2010 Siemens acquired a minor stake in the Bristol-based company and thus entered the marine tidal current market. Financial details of today’s announcement are not disclosed.

Ocean power is emerging with strong growth rates driven by global CO2 reduction commitments. Until 2020, experts anticipate double-digit growth rates for the ocean power market. Based on further estimates the global potential for power generation using tidal power plants is 800 terrawatt-hours (TWh) per annum. For comparison, that is equivalent to between three and four percent of power consumption worldwide.

Dr Andrew Tyler, CEO of MCT said: “Through the expansion of the partnership with Siemens, we have further strengthened our position in the tidal energy market. We have the increased backing of a major industrial player which is essential to support the commercialization of our proven technology. We are about to approach investors to secure funding for our first two tidal array projects, and Siemens’ increased investment as well as UK Government support should give investors the confidence that we have the necessary backing to deliver these crucial projects and the ones to follow.”

MCT plans to present two Project Investment Prospectuses to the market within the next month for its 8 megawatts (MW) Kyle Rhea project in Scotland and its 10 MW Anglesey Skerries project in Wales. For both projects, applications for leases from The Crown Estate have already been approved. The UK Government’s recent ROCs Banding announcement (October 20) will support these projects with 5 ROCs per megawatt hour proposed for tidal energy.

In addition, MCT is planning to deploy a tidal system into the FORCE facility in Canada’s Bay of Fundy and has an approval for a lease from The Crown Estate to deploy a 100 MW tidal farm off Brough Ness, on the southern most tip of the Orkney Islands in Scotland.

MCT has already successfully implemented its first commercial scale demonstrator project SeaGen in Northern Ireland’s Strangford Lough. Since November 2008, SeaGen’s two axial turbines, with a combined capacity of 1.2MW, have been feeding power into the grid to supply the equivalent of around 1500 homes. SeaGen has to date generated over 2.7GWh of electricity to the grid, the largest amount of electricity in the whole of the ocean power sector.

Marine current turbines generate electricity by utilizing tidal current flows. The SeaGen turbine is fixed on a structure and is driven by the flow of the tides with a key advantage that the generated power is precisely predictable in the tidal cycle. This technology effectively is similar to that of a wind turbine with the rotor blades driven not by wind power but by tidal currents. Water has an energy density of more than 800 times that of wind. Twin rotors rotate with the movement of the tidal flow and pitch through 180 degrees to optimally track tidal current direction and speed.

Marine current turbines are part of Siemens’ Environmental Portfolio. In fiscal 2010, revenue from the Portfolio totaled about EUR28 billion, making Siemens the world’s largest supplier of ecofriendly technologies. In the same period, Siemens’ products and solutions enabled customers to reduce their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 270 million tons, an amount equal to the total annual CO2 emissions of Hong Kong, London, New York, Tokyo, Delhi and Singapore.

Marine Current Turbines is based in Bristol, England. Founded in 2000, MCT has led the market in developing and patenting tidal current stream energy devices building on pioneering innovation dating back to the 1970s. The company’s principal corporate shareholders include Siemens, EDF Energy, ESB International, and Guernsey Electricity. The company is taking forward a number of tidal projects in the UK and internationally.

Further information is available at: www.marineturbines.com.

Japan’s six reactor Fukushima Daichi nuclear complex has inadvertently become the world’s bell-weather poster child for the inherent risks of nuclear power ever since the 11 March Tohoku offshore earthquake, measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale, triggered a devastating tsunami that effectively destroyed the complex.

Ever since, specialists have wrangled about how damaging the consequences of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami actually were, not only for the facility but the rest of the world.

The Fukushima Daichi complex was one of the 25 largest nuclear power stations in the world and the Fukushima I reactor was the first GE designed nuclear plant to be constructed and run entirely by the Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO.

Needless to say, in the aftermath of the disaster, both TEPCO and the Japanese government were at pains to minimize the disaster’s consequences, hardly surprising given the country’s densely populated regions.

But now, an independent study has effectively demolished TEPCO and the Japanese government’s carefully constructed minimalist scenario. Mainichi news agency reported that France’s l’Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire (Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety, or IRSN) has issued a recent report stating that the amount of radioactive cesium-137 that entered the Pacific after 11 March was probably nearly 30 times the amount stated by Tokyo Electric Power Co. in May.

According to IRSN, the amount of the radioactive isotope cesium-137 that flowed into the ocean from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant between March 21 and mid-July reached an estimated 27.1 quadrillion becquerels.

Why should this matter? Aren’t the Japanese authorities on top of the issue?

Cesium-137 can cause burns, acute radiation sickness and even death at sufficient doses. It can contaminate food and water and, if ingested, gets distributed around the body, where it builds up in soft tissues, such as muscles. Over time, it is expelled from the body in urine.

And where might tingested cesium-137 come from?

Seafood, anyone? One of the problems of the release of radioactivity into a maritime environment is that is represents a cumulative food chain, from plankton consumed by larger organisms, as evidenced by mercury contamination of swordfish, none of whom swam around ingesting globules of the silvery metal.

IRSN estimated that of the total amount, 82 percent had flowed into the sea by 8 April, adding that the Pacific was polluted at exceptional speed because the devastated Fukushima Daichi nuclear power plant (NPP) is situated in a coastal area with strong currents.

If the IRSN report contained any good news, it was that the impact of the cesium-137 contamination on marine life in remote waters is likely to lessen later this year.

The radioactive silver lining? Radioactive cesium-137 has a half life of roughly 30 years, so if the IRSN estimates are accurate, then my 2041 the Pacific’s aquatic life will only be subjected to a mere 13.55 quadrillion becquerels of radiation.

This is not to suggest that Japanese will shortly be keeling over from consuming their sushi but rather, that for better or for worse, a significant amount of cesium 137 has entered the Pacific’s aquatic environment, and the long-term effects of low-level exposure on the population consuming Pacific seafood are unknown. Numerous tests since 1945, when before it was believed that only massive bursts of radiation were hazardous to human health, have documented the insidious effects of long-term, low level radiological exposure to humans.

Fukushima sits at the nexus where the Kuroshio Current, running northward off the eastern coast of Japan, collides with the cold subarctic Oyashio Current that flows southwards, circulating counterclockwise along the western North Pacific Ocean. Their interaction produces the North Pacific Current, a slow warm water eastwards flowing current between 40 and 50 degrees north in the Pacific Ocean. In the eastern northern Pacific, the North Pacific Current divides into the southern flowing California Current and the northern Alaska Current.

The potential level of pollution outlined in the IRSN report indicate that it is long overdue for both TEPCO and the Japanese government to stop dribbling out information about the true state of events since Fukushima was devastated, and that foreign governments, particularly the United States, whose western shores are washed by the same currents that pass by Fukushima, insist that they do so.

While trillions of dollars are at stake in the worldwide nuclear industry, the potential health consequences are now simply too significant to ignore.

Source:  http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/New-International-Report-Shreds-Japan-s-Carefully-Constructed-Fukushima-Scenario.html

By. John C.K. Daly of  http://oilprice.com

There is a new invention just released that captures two types of clean energy with the same device. These inovative energy converters are designed to harness both solar and wave energy. Phil Pauley, founder of design and innovation agency PAULEY, developed the renewable power plant in a bid to drive innovation in the search for clean, sustainable and economically viable sources of energy.

According to Phil the Marine Solar Cells (MSC) are a hybrid solar and wave energy generator with the unprecedented ability to establish photovoltaic power generation off shore. The solar-wave unit captures both wave energy through natural buoyancy displacement and solar energy through photovoltaic cells as natural sun light also reflects from the surface water to increase solar capture by 20%

The solar-wave plant responds to the global need for large-scale renewable energy capture and has huge implications for offshore energy generation and local marine conservation.

This contrasts with conventional solar farms or wave power designs which only harvest one form of power. Hundreds of low-cost solar-wave units would be installed together in off-shore energy batteries or plants generating thousands of jobs and a new solar-marine industry with worldwide implications.

“These hybrid marine generators would be an effective way of capturing more energy per square metre. The design means they could be largely constructed from recycled materials too,” said Pauley.

These innovative hybrid off-shore Marine Solar Cells (MSC) would require minimal maintenance and generate higher energy yields than ever before. At a fraction of the cost in terms of initial and ongoing financial commitment, they represent a huge leap forward.

It will be interesting to see if these hybrid energy devices can make it to the main stream energy grid any time soon.

Photo credit: Toby Zerna/Newspix/Rex USA

Fifteen days after a tanker ran aground on a barrier reef in New Zealand spilling 35 tons of oil and fuel into the ocean, the island nation is still struggling to deal with the impact.

Here is the latest update:

• More than 1,000 sea birds have died as a result of the oil spill.
• 1260 tonnes of fuel remain on board.
• Efforts to pump the remaining oil from the ship has been hampered by setbacks the latest of which was a booster pump which failed.
• Eighty eight containers went overboard and authorities are using sonar to find 29 which are still unaccounted for.
• Oil and debris continues to wash up on shore.
• Beaches in the area remain closed.
• All crew members have left the country except for the captain and navigation officer who will face court charges regarding the grounding.
• A New Zealand yarn store is asking people to knit sweaters for penguins affected by the oil spill which will keep the birds warm and prevent them from ingesting the oil until they can be cleaned up.

Two separate whale strandings in Massachusetts have been linked by unusual species identification this week by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the New England Aquarium (NEAq).

One pilot whale stranded in Duxburyon Monday followed by another pilot whale in Truro on Tuesday. Pilot whale strandings are relatively uncommon, but what makes these cases especially unique is that both animals have been identified as Short-finned pilot whales – not the Long-finned pilot whales that frequent the northern Atlantic.

While the name of these two species of pilot whales seem to indicate only slight differences, biology shows that  they are actually very different species of whales – both physically and genetically.

“To put it in perspective, a household dog and a gray wolf actually have more in common genetically than these two types of whales,” said Brian Sharp, IFAW Stranding Coordinator.

 Massachusetts is far beyond the normal tropical distribution range for Short-finned pilot whales and their presence has never been documented in this state. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s national stranding database, one stranded in Rhode Island in 2001, but this was the only known case of this species inhabiting waters north of New Jersey. Their typical range is in the warmer waters in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Atlantic from Florida to Cape Hatteras.

 The 1,236 pound, 11.3 foot female whale died at approximately 5 p.m. on Tuesday just before the IFAW Marine Mammal Rescue and Research team arrived. There were no obvious signs of the cause of stranding and three to four other pilot whales were sighted 50 to 100 yards off shore. “The Short-finned pilot whale that stranded in Truro came to shore at almost dead low tide and was caught behind a sandbar. This may have been a simple case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time as other pilot whales were sighted just offshore when it stranded,” said Sharp. “This whale’s unfortunate death at least will provide an opportunity for us to learn more about another whale species through an animal autopsy and CT scans.

” It is unknown why the animals ventured into the colder waters off New England. One possibility is that the warmer weather drew them north or they may be extending their habitat range. Short-finned pilot whales are a distinctly different species than the Long-finned pilot whales. They are a smaller, shorter, deeper-chested animal with shorter pectoral flippers, fewer teeth, slightly different markings and a taller dorsal fin.

If you see a live or dead stranded marine mammal south of Plymouth through Rhode Island, please report it to the IFAW emergency hotline at 508-743-9548, from Plymouth north to Maine please contact the NEAq emergency hotline at 617-973-5247.   SOURCE International Fund for Animal Welfare

New Zealand is home to some of the most picturesque land in the world and is now confronting the worst maritime environmental disaster in their history.  The Kiwi’s plight does not come as a result of drilling for oil off their beautiful coast but instead from a 775 foot  cargo ship flying the flag of convenience of Liberia that ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef  in calm, clear water on October 5th.

The ship, named Rena, is carrying 1,700 tons of oil, 350 tons of which have already leaked into the pristine waters.    Authorities are trying to pump the remaining oil and fuel from the vessel but are being hampered by weather.http://www.oceanpowermagazine.net/2011/10/17/feds-allow-bp-to-bid-on-gulf-oil-leases-despite-violations-and-obstruction/

The New Zealand government is bracing for the worst and expects that it may take weeks or months to deal with the cleanup.  They have warned residents not to touch the oil globs that wash ashore and have set up a wildlife response center to clean up birds and other marine life.

The ship owned by the Greek company, Costamare Inc., is still sitting on the great Astrolabe Reef and is reportedly listing about 15 degrees.  The reef is a renowned scuba site and is home to coral, pipefish, sea horses, triggerfish, eels, wrasse, barracuda, reef sharks, hammerheads, grouper, octopuses, turtles, spinner dolphins and many other species.

The cause of the accident remains a mystery.  The Rena’s captain, Maurio Arieves Balomaga, has been arrested and currently faces one charge under section 65 of the Maritime Act, but more charges are expected to follow as the accident investigation continues.  Section 65 covers dangerous activity involving ships or maritime products and carries a maximum penalty of $10,000 or up to a 12 month jail term.