Global News: Ocean Projects for South Africa, Spain and China
This past month, a number of news stories have emerged on the progress of ocean projects in other counties, specifically South Africa, Spain and China. Here's the summary:
World's first tidal power station (www.chinaview.cn, 1/25/05). According to this article, the Ocean Energy Division of the Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion of the Chinese Academy of Sciences developed the world's first independent and stable tidal power generation system, which allows humans to convert tidal energy into stable electrical energy for the first time. The article further reports that the wave power system has already gone through the 10kW grade actual sea tests. An independent tidal power station with a total capacity of 50kW is currently under construction, which will allow a maximum output of 400kW. So far, a test model of the wave energy desalination station has been set up, and has passed simulated tests in the laboratory. It is expected to begin actual sea trials in February and commence trial production at the end of this year.
South Africa Wave Power, Melanie Gosling, www.iol.co.za (2/4/05). According to this article, a British company which British company, which has established a wave energy farm in Scotland and is setting one up in Portugal, believes South Africa's abundance of wave power can be harnessed to provide clean, green energy. The company, owned by Vincenzo Bellini, hopes to establish three wave energy farms off South Africa's coast.
Construction of the first plant for using energy from sea waves (2/4/05). This article reports that the municipal borough of Mutriku on the Basque coast has been chosen as the location for the first plant in the Basque Country for the generation of electricity, taking advantage of the energy produced by sea waves. The plant is to be installed at the outside of the new containment dyke to be built at the Port of Mutriku. The project will represent a number of "firsts," such as the first project to be installed with more than one turbine and the first to be totally integrated into a newly built dyke. The project utilizes oscillating water column (OWC) technology to produce electricity.