Anthony Doesburg writes about New Zealand’s wave and tidal energy situation, with this week marking the fourth annual Awatea – Aotearoa Wave and Tidal Energy Association- conference.
While technology does exist, no energy in New Zealand is yet generated through wave or tidal power, with resource consent issues forming one of the barriers to their use.
An excerpt: (read in full here)
“Huckerby takes heart from overseas developments, which will be reported on at the conference by speakers from more than a dozen countries where marine energy development is taking place.
“Britain is the most active, with the Government last month giving the go-ahead for use of 10 sites in Scotland’s Pentland Firth for tidal and wave projects that will produce 1.2GW of power by 2020.
“The only New Zealand effort to have resource consent is Neptune Power’s plan for a trial tidal turbine off the coast of Wellington…”