Can Wave Energy Really Power Australia’s Future?

JENNY HAYWARD -- CSIRO

CSIRO recently announced that energy from the ocean — also known as wave energy — could supply 11% of Australia’s demand by 2050. That is enough to power a city the size of Melbourne. It is a bold claim, but it’s time for Australia to look at the sea differently.

First of all, what is wave energy? As cool as it sounds, it’s sadly not a way of bringing energy from another dimension into our own or harnessing the power of black holes or something. In a practical form, like the wave energy plant powering Australia’s largest naval base, it’s like a hydro-electric plant that doesn’t need gravity to chuck water at a turbine.

Ocean buoys submerged off the coastline are hooked up to sealed pumps on the ocean floor. As the buoys move back and forth, pumps in the tube move and pressurise water. That pressurised water is then moved into a hydroelectric generator on-shore which generates energy as it turns. That energy is then fed into the grid. Clean and effective energy generation.

The World Energy Council recognised the power potential of the ocean several years ago when it listed Australia’s southern coastline as one of the world’s best sources of wave energy.

Predictability and power are what make the ocean competitive with wind as a power source. It also makes it the new frontier for renewable energy exploration.