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Sustainable Energy Assignment Sample

   

Added on  2021-06-16

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Sustainable Energy 1SUSTAINABLE ENERGYBy NameCourseInstructorInstitutionLocationDate

Sustainable Energy 2Executive SummaryWave energy, as a renewable source of energy, is an emerging technology that has continued to gain interest as a viable alternative source of renewable energy. Australia has a great potential forwave energy bearing its physical and geographical characteristics, especially for the southern coastline of Australia which has been established to be having a great wave resource. There are numerous wave energy production projects in Australia, some completed, and others under construction while others decommissioned. Perth Wave Energy Project is one of the major projects and the largest of its kind in the world that is illustrative of the technical developments and aspirations that Australia has with regard to harnessing more wave energy and suitable energy at large. It is estimated that the energy generated from the oceans in Australia would supply up to 11% of the demand for energy in the country by 2050. Harnessing wave energy is the greatest challenge to wave energy production in Australia.

Sustainable Energy 3ContentsExecutive Summary...............................................................................................................................................2Introduction..............................................................................................................................................................4The current State of Technology......................................................................................................................4Wave Energy Projects in Australia..............................................................................................................6Impacts of the energy system............................................................................................................................9Technical developments...................................................................................................................................11Barriers and Opportunities to wave energy in Australia.....................................................................14Conclusion and personal view........................................................................................................................17References...............................................................................................................................................................19

Sustainable Energy 4WAVE ENERGY IN AUSTRALIAIntroductionThe development of renewable energy in Australia just like in any other countries around the world plays an important role in addressing the needs and challenges of climate change and energy security (Khaligh, 2009, p.188). It is reported by the State of the Climate that the levels ofcarbon dioxide emission have been on the rise over the recent past, a scenario resulting from the burning of fossil fuels. This has seen a rise in the global temperatures to levels that are higher than the variability of the natural climate during the past century. Generation of electricity in Australia is one of the single largest contributions of the total emission and produces to the tune of 38% of the carbon dioxide emission. Due to an abundant supply of coal and gas resources, there has been a significant steady rise in the use of fossil fuels in Australia. Concerns have been raised from the national and international bodies regarding the impact of the use of fossil fuels on ether environment. Such concerns have seen the government pledge and active commitment to an increase in the amount of renewable energy use in the generation of electricity (Management Association, 2015, p.1584). The current State of TechnologyWave energy, as a renewable source of energy, is an emerging technology that has attracted interest as a viable alternative source of renewable energy. Numerous wave energy devices are currently under various stages of testing and demonstration despite the availability of extensive and elaborate information on the viability of wave energy as an alternative source of energy. Australia has a great potential for wave energy bearing its physical and geographical

Sustainable Energy 5characteristics (Cruz, 2017). This is especially for the southern coastline of Australia which has been established to be having a great wave resource. This great wave resource is attributed to the strong Southern Ocean winds which constantly generate are waves that travel towards the north to the southern coastline of Australia. These large construct swells offer ideal conditions for the generation of wave energy. Wave energy hasthe potential to generate up to 11% of the energy in Australia, an amount of energy that is sufficient to power a size of the same size as Melbourne, by the year 2050. Such a generation capacity has made wave energy one of the strongest contenders of the renewable energy mix in Australia. In support of the future potential for wave energy, the government of Australia is in full support of the developers to have a deep understanding of the environmental impacts of adoption of wave energy converters in the marine environment (Cruz, 2017, p.312).Australia is a signatory to the Paris Agreement that aims at reducing the levels of global warmingto values lower than 2⁰C which is only achievable through an almost complete decarbonisation of the systems of global electricity by 2050. Out of the 248 TW hours of electricity that is consumed in Australia, about 17 TW hours of it is derived from large-scale renewable energy technology (Neill, 2018, p.177). This is an equivalence of almost half the renewable energy target of 33 TW hours of Australia by 2020. The development of wave energy in Australia has been conducted in an ongoing manner. A test water tank was used during open public tests on the performance and impacts of first world’s wave power which was conducted at the Australian Maritime College in 2016. Development of wave power in Australia is done by companies and universities through the Emerging Renewables Programs under the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Management

Sustainable Energy 6Association, 2015, p.152). Research is ongoing in which numerous wave power generators are being installed close to each other so as to establish the effect it will have on each of the devices as well as find the optimal layout for the power generators. Wave Energy Projects in AustraliaAustralia forms one of the numerous regions in the world in which the generation of wave powerand related projects are being taken into consideration. The long and large deep-water coastline in the country is one of the factors that facilitate harnessing of wave power in Australia. Among the project in relation to wave power generation include:Carnage Wave Energy which is refining a technology known as CETO. CETO make use of energy trapped from passing waves to produced high-pressure sea water. The water is then pumped onshore to drive a turbine as well as to generate desalinated water (Folley, 2016, p.211). There is a series of large buoys which is tethered to piston pumps which are supported in waters which are between 15 and 50 meters deep. The pumps are driven by the rise and fall in the passing waves which then lead to the generation of water pressures that go as high as 1000 pounds per square inch. The first commercial wave farm for Carnegie was completed on Garden Island that is located close to Perth, Western Australia by 2014. The Carnegie Wave Energy was the first array of wave power generators to be linked to the national electricity grid in Australia and in the world at large. The project cost $32 million out of which $13 million was donated by Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Pecher, 2016, p.361). The system of this company is unique from other wave energy devices as it works underwater in which its safety from large storms as well as corrosion. It is also safe as it is invisible from the shore. The water at high pressure can also be used in supplying reverse osmosis desalination plant, substituting or lowering dependence on the electrically driven pumps which emit

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