Guest article written by Marcus Lehmann, Co-Founder & CEO of CalWave
The U.S. offshore wind industry is installing steel in the water for the first time at a commercial scale. The first utility-scale U.S. offshore wind farm, South Fork Wind, is now fully commissioned and operational. Meanwhile, 15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, Vineyard Wind has started delivering power to the grid. The first Jones Act Service and Operations Vessel (SOV), the ECO Edison, is fast approaching its first voyage. The first floating offshore wind leases have been awarded off the California coast and BOEM’s Gulf of Mexico region is preparing its second auction for offshore wind lease areas. These major developments paired with new tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act are coming together to create a sea change across America.
While much attention has been paid to the growth of offshore wind, wave resources are showing a positive potential impact to the energy grid. Recent studies and reports from Stanford University (1), U.S. National Labs (2), Wave Energy Scotland (3), and EU Scores (4) are highlighting the technology, and economic and system-level benefits of combining floating offshore wind and wave systems.
Generating more renewable energy from our oceans holds incredible promise. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), marine renewable energy has the potential to power 57% of U.S. electrical needs (5). That’s a lot more than the 12% of total energy demand produced by wind and solar in 2020.
A coordinated effort combining these resources off the U.S. coastline can lead to:
- Complementary Power Resources: By sharing balance-of-system infrastructure with offshore wind, wave energy converters (WECs) can boost the capacity factors of offshore projects without significantly increasing costs. This optimum usage of the seabed will enable a higher production of energy per square mile. Ocean swells form from the wind blowing across the ocean’s surface. This form of energy can carry hundreds or even thousands of miles across the open ocean. By the time those swells approach land, their strength is no longer impacted by wind speed. If an offshore wind farm is not producing at capacity, wave energy can fill the gap using the same infrastructure.
- New Laws Opening Doors: Marine energy technologies may be permitted through the same leasing mechanisms as offshore wind. There is not yet a clear path for permitting marine energy projects, but new state laws in both California and New Jersey may help pave the way not only for state regulatory agencies, but also for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).
- Cost Savings: Marine renewables that are co-located with offshore wind will do more than just support America’s net-zero targets. They may also lead to significant cost savings for storage and transmission onshore. According to the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), the complementary generation profile of marine renewable energy creates an opportunity to reduce the need for energy storage technologies, thus reducing overall system costs.
- Economic Benefits for a Competitive Edge: Wind and wave energy farms have the potential to create local jobs, enhance local economic development, and increase supply chain demand. Fixed offshore wind (industrialized) and floating offshore wind (industrializing) may also pave the way for quicker learnings as wave energy technologies scale up. By implementing lessons learned from offshore wind and floating platforms, companies can gain an edge in the industrialization of wave energy technologies.
- A Versatile Option: Wave energy technologies are more versatile than offshore wind turbines and can often go where offshore wind cannot. For example, technology from California-based company CalWave Inc. operates submerged and does not require specialized vessels. This benefit gives developers the flexibility to deploy systems closer to shore than would be possible for offshore wind turbines, reducing installation costs.
To meet energy demands, the U.S. and other countries will rely on a portfolio of energy options, including a combined effort of wind and wave energy. The offshore wind industry can absorb the benefits of this deployment and the commercialization of the wave energy industry.
In the U.S. today, Oregon State University-based PacWave is preparing to deploy the first grid-connected wave energy generation system in US history. The nonprofit organization is a newly Department of Energy (DOE)-funded, pre-permitted, grid-connected wave energy test site seven miles off the central Oregon coast.
Diverse energy sources are needed to address power issues across the world. Wave energy is one part of the solution bringing a new source of offshore renewable energy. Utility-scale wave energy deployments are on the horizon, and the offshore wind industry can build a case to partner with wave energy businesses to extend power resources, manage risk during low wind periods and build economies of scale for installation, operations and transmission
New at IPF this year, Oceantic Network is excited to launch a new Ocean Renewables track to further discussion about other forms of ocean renewable energy. View the complete agenda here.
About the Author:
Marcus Lehmann founded CalWave in 2014 and serves as the CEO. Marcus was accepted into the first cohort of Cyclotron Road, a 2-year fellowship and incubator for entrepreneurial scientists working in clean energy at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) that allowed the formation of the founding team. Marcus is a co-inventor of several key US and international patents and has managed CalWave’s industry collaborations and relationships. In 2016, he was named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 List for Energy. Marcus has previous industry experience with the major European utility E.ON and has worked for Siemens and BMW in the past. Marcus holds a M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University Munich, an honors degree in Technology Management, and a Ph.D. in Systems Engineering from Technical University Hamburg-Harburg.
Sources:
1.“Combining Offshore Wind and Wave Energy farms to facilitate Grid Integration of Variable Resources,” Eric Stoutenburg, University of Stanford, April 23, 2012
2.“Understanding the Grid Value Proposition of Marine Renewable Energy,” PNNL, 2024
3.“Shared Floating Wind and Wave Projects offer 12% Combined LCOE Reduction to UK,” Wave Energy Scotland, May 11, 2023
4.“Co-location of Offshore Wind, Wave, and Floating Solar Could Lead to Unprecedented LCOE Reduction, Report Finds.” Amir Garanovic, May 11, 2022
5.“Marine Energy in the United States: An Overview of Opportunities,” Levi Kilcher, Michelle Fogarty, and Michael Lawson, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, February 2021
