Why Broken Projects Are A Sign of Success, Not Failure

In the past few months, wave and tidal technologies have experienced some rough seas. As reported in this piece (10/1/07), Verdant Poweris making some modifications to its East River Project after powerful currents sheared the tips off the rotor blades and bent the bolts holding them to the river bed. And about two weeks ago, Finavera’s 72 foot AquaBuOY prototype sunk off the coast of Lincoln County, Oregon just a day before it was to be removed, according to this story from Renewable Energy Access. Though Finavera is still studying the reasons for the sinking, it appears that the buoy took on too much water and that the pump couldn’t keep up. Right now, Finavera is attempting to extricate the buoy as quickly as possible, but with winter weather conditions approaching, the company may need to wait until spring to complete the salvage.

For some, the broken turbines and sunk buoy can be viewed as signs that the wave and tidal industry isn’t quite ready for prime time. But from my perspective, these developments are necessary steps en route to progress. The fact that the industry has experienced these setbacks and can now correct them will yield more data about how these technologies operate and ultimately, will lead to more successful commercial projects. Further, that these technologies encountered unexpected hurdles demonstrates the importance of allowing wave and tidal developers to get projects into the water and test them in real operating conditions.

We can’t expect perfection from any technology the first time out. And just as with a baby learning to walk or a child mastering a bike, progress doen’t happen without a few tumbles along the way. Right now, Verdant and Finavera have encountered some minor hurdles, but eventually these companies and others will succeed. That is, if we can reduce the regulatory and permitting hurdles that keep so many from taking the plunge. In the meantime, what we’re seeing with Verdant and Finavera right now is what progress and innovation look like, if we give it a chance. Not always pretty, but full of promise.