Wave energy still remains several years away from full blown commercialization. But if all goes well for offshore wind, by the time wave energy projects come into their own, they should be able to bypass one of the hurdles currently facing offshore wind: lack of adequate offshore transmission.
Fortunately, on both sides of the Atlantic, work is underway to develop offshore transmission grids that will help integrate large amounts of offshore wind into the grid and deliver power to areas of high demand.
As USA Today, citing a recent study by William Kempton of University of Delaware, an Atlantic Transmission Grid running along the East Coast would even out fluctuations in wind power production, thus making the resource more reliable. Meanwhile, the SolveClimate.com Blog reports on the progress of Europe’s Supergrid, which would connect offshore wind farms North Sea from Sweden and Denmark to Britain. (For more information, see Friends of the Supergrid)
Both the U.S. offshore transmission project and European Supergrid will be expensive. However, at least in the U.S., land based transmission siting is a contentious process. An offshore transmission grid might face fewer objections and could help relieve congestion and improve the reliability of the grid, which could justify allocating costs to a broader group of users.
In any event, if an offshore transmission line is built in the next few years, by the time wave energy reaches maturity, it should be able to plug and play.
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