Wave-Power as source of renewable energy

According to reports in popular and academic media, our planet has long been suffering from the stresses caused by carbon dioxide polution and green-house gas emissions into the atmosphere.One of the biggest culprits of carbon dioxide emissions are the many electricity power stations using coal to generate electricity. Currently, ESKOM generates a vast majority of the power it supplies from coal-power stations with a small amount of ESKOM’s electrical power output coming from both hydro-energy as well as South Africa’s only nuclear-energy station in Koeberg. Over the past number of decades many individuals and organizations have been experimenting with renewable sources of energy, with a specific aim of producing electricity and these experiments have explored such energy sources as solar, nuclear, geothermal, wind and water. In South Africa, the efforts to find alternative renewable sources of energy are led by, among others, the Sustainable Energy Society of South Africa (SESSA),a non-governmental organization. SESSA’s stated aim is to use renewable energy and thereby reduce the dependence of South Africa on the carbon-emitting energy-production methods.

Ocean-Wave Energy

One of the greatest sources of renewable energy is water, more specifically the oceans. South Africa has a coastline which stretches just under 3,000 kilometers with the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Indian Ocean to the east. Unlike the abundant solar power which is available only during day-light, the seas around South Africa’s shores pound all-day round and all-year round which makes sea waves the ideal alternative source of energy. Pelamis Wave Power, a Scottish based company is a leader in the manufacture of a structure which converts sea-wave energy into electrical energy. This structure floats on the surface of the sea and through the use of special hydraulic motors, the bouncing motion of the structure caused by the waves produces energy which is used to drive generators which produce electrical energy. Pelamis already operates a commercial wave-power farm just off the northern coast of Portugal. While the jury is still out on the commercial viability of this technology, one hopes that ESKOM has already begun exploring such alternative sources of energy as sea wave power.

Role of Government

However, ESKOM cannot be expected to act alone in finding renewable sources of electrical energy to this end, it is incumbent upon the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) and government of President Zuma to create a legislative framework aimed at accelerating ESKOM’s long-term investment efforts into sustainable electricity-production methods. In an article appearing in the Havard Business Review, former US President Bill Clinton pionts out that "just as information technology exploded in the 1990's, green technology is set to be the major growth sector." Our government therefore must legislate for this renewable energy phenomenon before it gains critical mass.