There aren’t any tidal or wave energy projects in the Northwest right now, but researchers at the University of Washington are hoping to change that with an $8 million grant from the U.S. Navy.
Andy Stewart, lead researcher at University of Washington’s Applied Physics Laboratory, said they’re testing technologies that will work in different conditions around the world.
“Then [we can] tailor the technology to be appropriate for deployment at those sites,” Stewart said.
First, researchers will use a 3-D printer to experiment with different designs in a lab. Stewart said that will let researchers test a lot small-scale designs.
“The 3-D printing allows us to print very complex shapes at very low cost,” Stewart said. “Early results are actually showing that some of the simpler shapes tend to preform just as well as complex shapes. That’s a nice result to see, that we may be able to simplify the design of the devices.”
In 2016, they’ll test the best designs off an experimental catamaran barge. It was previously used in experiments on underwater sound. Stewart said the technology they’ll be testing will be generate power but it will be too small for utility-scale installations.
The Northwest’s first utility-scale tidal power project was abandoned last month by the Snohomish Public Utility District. Steve Klein, the PUD’s general manager, said the tidal energy project near Puget Sound’s Whidbey Island got too expensive.
Conservationists have raised concerns that tidal and wave projects will harm marine life and fisheries.
University of Washington researchers are also developing a way to better monitor for environmental problems caused by tidal and wave power.
“There haven’t been very many demonstration sites for the technology,” Stewart said. “So as full-scale devices go in the water it’s important that we measure any kind of animal interaction that happens.”
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