The growing demand for energy is fueling a drive for the extraction of sustainable sources. The oceans, which cover 70 per cent of the world, harbor a vast untapped source of renewable energy in the form of waves (Anthony T. Jones, 2002).
Wave energy has long been considered one of the most promising renewable technologies. Not only is the energy resource vast, but it is more dependable than most renewable energy resources—wave power at a given site is available up to 90 percent of the time, while solar and wind availability tend to be available just 20~30 percent of the time (Power buoys, 2011).
There are more than 1000 different patented proposals for sea wave energy devices in the world (Falnes J, Lovseth J., 1991), and several have demonstrated the potential for commercially viable electricity generation (Baird S.,1993).The first commercial wave plant in the world, Limpet 500 MW, was installed on the island of Islay, Scotland, in 2000, and has been providing power to the grid for the UK since late November 2000. Also on the island of Islay, Ocean Power Delivery Ltd. Of Edinburgh, Scotland is installing a small offshore wave power device, which will power up to 200 homes (R. Pelc, R.M. Fujita, 2002).
At the end of 2014, global ocean energy capacity remained at about 530 MW, with most of this coming under the category of tidal power, and specifically tidal barrages across bays and estuaries (Renewables 2015 Global Status Report,2015).
According to the World Energy Council, the global energy available from wave energy conversion is 2000 TWh per year. Tapping just 0.2 per cent of this energy would satisfy the current global demand for electricity. Energy resource use is one of the most important and contentious issues of our time. Investments in energy efficiency and increased conservation may be the best way to tackle energy use. (R.
Pelc, R. M.Fujita, 2002)
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In Taiwan, the chairman of EZE Energy Ceylon (PVT) Ltd, Hui-Hsiung, Yang has built up a sea wave power plant in the year 2014. The Company aims to promote the energy saving solution for any country in the world by providing a considerable energy (6 MW) just using the sea wave kinetic energy. A machine capable of supplying this need will be placed at a precise location to meet the expected effectiveness of the technology. The preliminarily suggested location of the sea wave grid shall be carefully selected at a sea shore which has a continuous 0.5 m wave high.
Generation of power and maintenance of the project will be done under the company and the electric output will be connected to the electrical network of any country to provide solutions for the power crisis.
The company’s power solution provides sea wave energy from nature, or from earth running and solar heat; energy can be extracted for local use. Taiwan is located at the Eurasian continent plate and surrounded by the sea, the coastline is about 1500 kilometers in length. Every 80 meters of coastline can build a 6 MW plant equal to 75 kW/meter can be obtained from the marine. The cost of a 6MW plant only cost US$
20 million and it can completely setup within 8~10 months.
Build the base of the excavation on the seabed and the laying pipe inside the platform. Sea water deep requires 3 meters (at low tide), under the sea bed with PVC pilling. Platform dimensions are 60×30 meters, the bridge can load 300T of the construction machine and it’s the connection to the beach coast.
Source: Obtain from EZE Energy Company Figure 2-1 Platform construction
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Source: Obtain from EZE Energy Company
2.1.2 Solar Power Structure of sea wave power generator in the sea
In recent years, the global solar power capacity has grown substantially. Taiwan has also actively set up the promotion target of solar power and plans to implement the related promotion plan.
Solar power is a variable renewable energy, high cost of power generation, the capacity factor is small, with power supply uncertainty and variability, regional characteristics. The demand to set the area, the initial investment cost is still high and the land in Taiwan is limited, but its advantages are safe and carbon reduction. While actively developing solar power in Taiwan, it is necessary to further explore and evaluate whether it is necessary to set up large-scale solar power plants, residential solar power facilities, or people's livelihood applications, it must have a certain goal and strategy.
As the solar cell production technology and domestic solid foundation of the semiconductor industry process technology resemble, and the existing of industrial technology and R &D capabilities in Taiwan nowadays, development of solar technology is just around the corner. However, in the current domestic solar power
Figure 2-2 Structure of sea wave power generator in the sea
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market is still small; attracting domestic semiconductor industry to join the development of the production of the solar photovoltaic industry is not easy. But not entirely impossible, recently several domestic semiconductor industries are optimistic about solar energy rapid growth of the optoelectronic market, semiconductor manufacturers have invested in the development of solar cell wafer materials and production, and it will make the domestic upper solar photovoltaic industry supply chain more stable. That is the advantage of the domestic industry.
The use of silicon materials to develop solar power technology is rapid and can not only be affirmed but hard to be replaced in short time. After a few years development of solar technology, prices of the cost have dropped by 30~40%, but in order to manage market requiring, further cost reduction is truly needed.
While Taiwan's domestic market is too small, the installment of solar energy is negligible. Although the Ministry of Economic Affairs promote the development of renewable energy and subsidize solar power generation devices per watt Ten NT dollars, expect to be able to increase some demand in the market.
However, if the solar industry prospect is built on government subsidies, it will be a risk to develop. According to the research institutions, they pointed out that the current cost of solar photovoltaic power generation is equivalent to oil price US$130dollars more than normal oil price US$ 45dollars.
The total installed capacity of solar power energy in Taiwan is 438MW in the year 2014, and the total power generation is 512 million kWh (Taiwan Power Company). Taiwan due to long sunshine, the solar deflection angle is small; it is suitable for the development of solar energy. Although Taiwan is the world's second largest producer of silicon solar cells, due to the narrow land, installation capacity is greatly limited. The Ministry of Economic Affairs Energy Bureau actively promotes the “Million Sunshine Roof” plan. In 2030, the solar photovoltaic device capacity plans to reach 6,200MW, if reached on schedule, the total annual generating capacity is about 8 billion kWh.
We review the nuclear plant with two generators (Nuclear Factory No.4)yearly
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generate about 19.3 billion kWh, the estimated solar power to completely replace the nuclear power generation is about 15GW, it must rely on a ground-based power plant to achieve. Without considering the cost of land, 1MW of the current construction cost is about NT dollar 5.2 billion, the land area of about 1 hectare (0.01 square kilometers).If completely replace the nuclear power (Factory No.4), the installation cost is around NT $ 780 billion, and the required land area is about 150 square kilometers. In the land of the high cost of land in Taiwan, and the need to consider food security, to find such a large area of land to build solar power generation system, the difficulty is extremely high (Energy Information Platform, 2014).
2.1.3 Wind Power
Wind energy has received a lot of attention lately as one of the most promising and economically feasible technologies for clean power generation (Robin Pelc, Rod M.Fujita, 2002). Very strong winds regularly blow over the oceans; development of offshore wind energy is growing. There is a fairly large potential for offshore wind and many possible sites.
The major characteristic defining power available in the wind is its speed, (Elistratov, 2008). Power is generated from the wind by converting the force of the wind on the rotor 7 blades into a torque. Wind speed depends on height aboveground level (Wikipedia, 2016). Close to the earth, the wind is slowed down at the expense of a friction about a terrestrial surface. For agricultural fields and deserted territories when height increase over an earth surface twice the increase in speed of the wind approximately on 12 % is observed (Kargiev, et al., 2001).
Geographical conditions and character of a terrestrial surface, including various natural and artificial obstacles, such, as hills and so forth, and also trees and buildings, have considerable influence on wind speed(A. Minina, 2009). For this reason, windmills dispose of, whenever possible, on ennobled and removed from high trees, apartment houses and other constructions places since such obstacles reduce the speed of a wind and lead to the turbulences of a stream complicating transformation of a
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wind power. (Kargiev, et al., 2001)
In connection with the variability of parameters of a wind, windmills are recommended to be used in the productions permitting discontinuation of electricity supply. If the guaranteed support of electric power is required, then it is necessary to apply energy systems, including, along with windmills, accumulators or duplicating power plant (Elistratov, 2008).
Most wind energy comes from turbines that can be as tall as a 20-story building and have three 200-foot-long (60-meter-long) blades. These contraptions look like giant airplane propellers on a stick. The biggest wind turbines generate enough electricity to supply about 600 U.S. homes (National Geographic).
Renewable energy power generation technology in Taiwan, in addition to hydroelectric power, solar power, and wind power generation technology is quite mature. As Taiwan is located in the continental plate and ocean junction, the annual strong northeast monsoon makes Taiwan has the annual average wind speed of more than 4 meters per second, the wind energy is abundant, and making Taiwan has great wind power potential.
Since 2000, Taiwan has actively promoted the development and application of wind power. Through resource exploration, technical guidance, research, and investigation, demonstration subsidies and publicity and promotion, preliminary results have been achieved, and Taiwan Power Company and private sector companies have been put into wind energy development. By the end of March 2016, the land completed the construction of a total of 28 wind farms, which has to turn a total of 28 wind farms up to 649MW, including 331 wind generator. The total power generation in the year 2014 was 1,486 million kWh. Another approximately 560 MW wind generator are in the construction and planning stage (Thousand Wind Turbines Project, 2015).
The new government attaches great importance to green energy; the highest efficiency county of green energy includes solar and wind energy in Taiwan is Changhua County. The county government has reached a consensus with the Taiwan
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Power Company; Taiwan Power Company will invest NT$ 200 billion, to set up a Taiwan Wind Power Operation Center (Changhua County Government, 2016.12.20 news).