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No risk from wave energy devices like Wave Hub sitting offshore of the UK’s waters.
by Richard Hardy
03/07/2006:// Surfers should not be alarmed by the prospect of wave energy devices like Wave Hub sitting offshore of the UK’s waters.
Last week’s South West Of England RDA public open day in Hayle concerning Wave Hub was an exciting and important step in bringing wave energy closer to the UK. SAS are big fans of offshore renewable energy as it has the potential to deliver clean and safe energy without harmful environmental costs to the earth.
As recreational water users who harness the energy of waves for everyday enjoyment we are excited by the prospect of waves being used to create green energy and know from experience that the north Cornish coast is an ideal location for a project like Wave Hub to do just that! By replacing traditional power stations with devices that can harness offshore wind, wave and tidal power, carbon dioxide emissions (responsible for climate change) can be reduced. By investing in such technology now, we can take the first steps to a more sustainable world. Without such developments we are likely to see an increase in extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and storms and a rise in global sea levels. This would be devastating for many coastal areas around the world and could result in severely reduced water quality for many recreational water users, due to an increase in the occurrence of sewer overflows caused by heavy rain.
If the Wave Hub project progresses successfully it would be a world first and would put Cornwall on the map as world leaders in the wave energy industry and in generating green energy.
In response to the environmental impact assessment section concerning the impact on surfing waves the model results show worst case scenario shows up to a 13% reduction in wave height along a small section of the north coast, with more likely scenarios showing up to around a 5% reduction in wave height. SAS helped ensure this study was carried out and believes any project like this should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
Any effect on the sediment transport regime looks like it will be unnoticeable against the background of sediment flux that occurs naturally due to the ever-changing wave conditions.
This suggests that the wave hub will not result in a catastrophic loss of surfable wave resource.
Under most conditions, it is doubtful that the effect will be noticeable by surfers at all, given the small magnitude of the height reductions in question and the fact that wave height is only one factor in determining the quality of a surfable wave.
The occasional larger reduction in wave height at some locations of up to 13% (i.e. worst case scenario), would still be viewed by us as being within acceptable limits, considering the nature of the proposed project.
Richard Hardy SAS Campaigns Director says: “Renewable Energy projects, such as Wave Hub are urgently needed to get us moving forward in tackling climate change. There is no denying climate change is happening and this could have a significant impact in the way we live our lives in the southwest. We cannot afford to wait any longer before we try to reduce our CO2 emissions and its with that in mind that projects like Wave Hub need fast tracking to fully assess their potential in tackling climate change and in meeting our future energy needs. It would be fantastic to see Cornwall harness the power from waves to produce clean and safe energy in the same we have used it to generate healthy active lifestyles from surfing and other watersports that are so popular right now”.
[Carissa Moore (in yellow) receiving the winner's prize]
[The number of high-rated Australian surf competitions are set to increase]
[Pablo Gutierrez winner of the Superbock Pro]
Hawaiian Carissa Moore won the Roxy Pro Junior surfing in her first ever contest in France
ASP International has announce the inception of their fourth regional branch, ASP Australasia
Twenty-six-year-old Pablo Guitierrez took top honours in the Superbock Pro in Portugal after defeating fellow Portugeuse surfer Eduardo Fernandes in the final
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