Wave power has potential to light up Ireland

Wave power has huge energy potential to light up Ireland


Test sites could lead to worldwide export of wave energy, plus huge local benefits

Anton McNulty

THE development of wave energy along the west coast of Ireland has the potential to produce  all of Ireland’s energy requirements, while Erris could become a centre of excellence in the research and development of the product.
At last week’s Belmullet Electoral Area Committee meeting, Mr James Ryan of the Marine Institute explained that the sea off the Mayo coast had all the positive attributes for the production of wave energy. He explained the west coast had advantages over other areas of Europe because it was not sheltered and the average wave height of three metres was ideal for commercial wave energy production.
At the beginning of the year, sites off the Mullet Peninsula were chosen by the Minister for Energy, Communications and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan, for the development of a €2m wave energy test site at Frenchport near Belmullet. The new test site was part of the Government’s €26m investment in ocean energy over three years, which the Minister hopes will see 75MW of energy produced by 2012.
Mr Ryan said that wave and tidal energy were being developed in other European countries but he wanted Ireland to become world experts in the development of ocean energy. However, he stressed that while the potential returns were enormous, they were still awaiting licences to go ahead with the work and the success would depend on the level of support in the locality.
“Ireland’s location makes it one of the best in the world for ocean energy. We produced a report which showed that the wave height average was between 2.5 and three metres, or ten feet, and that is significant. There is a test site in the Orkney Islands but we have an advantage over them because they tend to be sheltered from the prevailing winds while here it is completely open. Realistically, we will meet more challenges in wave power than in wind power but the returns are potentially enormous.
“It is estimated that it could produce 450MW of power per wave per year along the west coast. We estimate that, given technology advancements, we could produce all Ireland’s recommended energy requirements just from waves. You could also take the excess energy and connect it to the inter-connectors and export it to the UK and Europe. Our target is about the development of technology for the worldwide market. We want to be world experts in wave power,” he said.
Mr Ryan explained that the tidal energy sector along the west coast was much smaller because to be commercial the tide has to have a speed of six knots and the equipment takes up a lot of space. However, he added that while the Bullsmouth site between Inishbiggle and Achill was too small for commercial use, he was keen to develop a test site at the location.
He said the reasons for choosing the Mayo site included its proximity to Killybegs, the quality of the grid, its strong maritime tradition and its good road access. He added that a number of piers and landing sites were identified for bringing the cable ashore and explained that some of the piers would have to be upgraded to cater for the vessels involved.
The news was welcomed by councillors who said that if it was developed to its potential it would be of tremendous benefit to the area. Cllr Tim Quinn said that harnessing alternative energy was important to the whole economy and called for the relevant licences to be provided so the project would not be held back. Cllr Michael Holmes said there was a lot of potential in wave energy but said it was important that the local public were informed of the project and how it would affect them. Cllr Gerry Coyle said they would give any help they could in providing funding for piers, while Cllr Micheál McNamara felt the upgrade of piers should also be of benefit to the local community.
Mr Peter Hynes, Director of Services, said that the non-renewable services were going to run out in the future and the country would have to look at developing wind and ocean energy. He added that this project would open up a lot of potential for the area which he said could include a Centre of Excellence in Ocean Energy located in Belmullet, a world first for the area.