Wave Power Can Help Solve Critically Important Energy Security Issues
By Laurent Albert, CEO, Seabased
Energy security is, in essence, the ability to access the energy you need, when you need it. It means your digital connection to the world is intact. It means you can transport food, refrigerate, and cook it. You can access clean water, and if you need medical care, the hospitals have the power to use their equipment to keep you alive. Energy is the fuel of economic development, of a community or country being able to provide for its citizens. Secure access to power - or energy - leads directly to power, in terms of the ability to affect change. It is consequently a primary function of government.
A green transition that balances multiple renewable sources – solar, wind, wave, tidal - can provide a tremendous amount of energy security.
The move toward renewables is already reshaping the geopolitical landscape. As noted in a policy brief by the European Council on Foreign Relations, the balance of power has often been defined by access to energy. Alliances have formed around the need to acquire fossil and other fuels from other countries, irrespective of political ideologies. Greening the global energy structure, however, will shift that balance of power and realign global relationships. Energy security will become largely an issue of investment in, and development of, renewable sources close to home. Many countries think of this as wind and solar, but ocean energy, and particularly wave - which is rapidly approaching commercialization – provides a level of power and stability that will make it a significant contributor to energy security.
While no energy source is impervious to attack from humans or nature, local renewable energy has huge advantages. It connects communities to their own resources, strengthening them from within. And it provides a fuel source that – in the case of wave in particular – is predictable, ever present, and is gentle on the environment.
Modern renewables like solar, wind, wave, and tidal, are far less subject to the energy security threats posed by the fragile lifeline that can exist between the source of the energy and the country that depends on it. And those threats are numerous. Cybercrime for profit or political gain is understandably getting a lot of attention, but there are myriad situations in which energy security is threatened simply because the country or region that depends on the power has no control over its supply. A recent example is the Island of Jersey. Post-Brexit arguments over fishing rights caused France to threaten to invoke a clause of the Brexit agreement that would essentially turn off the power of the island, since France provides 95% of Jersey’s energy. Political wrestling leaves those who depend on foreign powers at their mercy when it comes to production, price, and supply.
Fortunately, one of the best ways to achieve energy security is also one of the best ways to protect the environmental health of our planet.
A Resource of Our Own
Modern renewable energy offers notable advantages that relate to energy security: cost control, risk mitigation, and increased self-determination.
Once a community has a plant that can channel a natural resource into power, the fuel is essentially free. Instead of committing to decades-long contracts at often exorbitant prices for imported fuels, countries that depend on renewable resources can count on those resources to always be there, without paying a penny for the fuel itself. Some places that currently dedicate a huge percentage of their import dollars to fuel – such as some African countries, parts of South America, Australia, and many islands – might be able to create a significant portion of their energy from wave power.
Furthermore, a community that relies on its own natural resources has a far greater ability to chart its own political course than one that must genuflect to the country that provides its energy. A case in point was the gas crisis that arose in Europe in the mid 2000s when Russia– Europe’s primary provider of natural gas – invaded Ukraine. Some places in the EU had no fuel for heat in the midst of a deadly cold winter. Europe was left in a particularly weak negotiating position.
Wave Energy’s Unique Advantages
Wave energy is a game changer in that it’s a renewable that is also highly reliable. Wave power circumvents two risks that otherwise come with variable renewable energy (VRE) sources. One is the intermittency issue. The sun goes down, just when residential power needs are ramping up. The wind comes and goes. Ocean power, however, is much more constant. Waves roll in 24/7, 365 days a year. You can predict the amount of power you can glean from a wave climate from 5-to-14 days prior to the day you intend to use that power. Thus, wave energy, either by itself or in conjunction with other renewable sources, can increase energy security. And extremely large waves are not necessary. Seabased’s technology was designed to work well with medium-sized ocean waves that are common around the world.
Another issue, noted in a recent report by the Atlantic Council, is long transmission distances. The greater the distance between the source of the fuel, the power creation, and the power usage, the greater the risk of something interrupting the delivery of power. Wave, however, offers far fewer opportunities for bad actors to profit – either financially or politically. No pipeline is needed. The resource itself is free and cannot be held ransom, and it is close to population centers, both saving costs and greatly reducing the opportunities to disrupt transmission. A majority of large cities around the world are coastal. Many of these have nearby wave climates that would support a utility-scale wave energy park.
The path to financial and economic stability is to lean on resources available close to home that answer to the laws of nature rather than the whims of foreign powers. For many communities around the world, wave energy can play a key role in achieving energy security that is both renewable and CO2 free.