This past summer, millions of Californians trekked to the beach to relax, swim, surf and beat the heat. Chances are very few of them realized the waves they frolicked in might also help us achieve our clean-energy and climate-mitigation goals.
Anybody who has wiped out while surfing or been knocked down by a wave knows first-hand the power of the ocean. It’s that very power that marine-energy innovators are now tapping into as a source of clean, reliable and renewable power.
As the environmental consequences of conventional energy production have become painfully clear, wave and tidal energy is being recognized worldwide for its potential role in a carbon-free energy future. And that potential is vast.
The National Renewable Energy Lab has reported that U.S. marine energy resources are equal to roughly 57% of the nation’s 2019 electricity generation — enough to power approximately 220 million U.S. homes. According to the lab, California’s marine energy resource potential could supply power to approximately 13 million homes.
The Biden administration is counting on ocean energy to help the United States reach its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 and has allocated tens of millions of dollars to advance the industry. In January, the Department of Energy announced the allocation of another $27 million for cutting-edge wave energy research.
In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom last weekend signed SB 605, which directs the California Energy Commission to study the potential for wave and tidal energy along the state’s coastline.
Wave and tidal power can play an important role in California’s renewable energy portfolio. In 2022, onshore wind and solar provided nearly 27% of California’s in-state energy generation. When the sun sets and the wind stops blowing, the ocean’s constant movement will continue to produce energy.
Wave power is produced by the up and down motion of the ocean. Energy innovators are developing varying technologies, but in general the kinetic energy of the wave turns a turbine attached to a generator that produces electricity.
California now has 35 gigawatts of clean electricity to help power its grid but needs an additional 148 GW by 2045 to meet the state’s clean-energy goals. Offshore wind development will help. But the path to a carbon-free grid is not one and done. All sources of renewables will be necessary to meet our goals.
When it reaches commercial scale, wave and tidal energy has the potential to join wind, solar, hydroelectric, storage and other carbon-free sources to help California’s transition to clean energy and to overcome the challenges of climate change.
Californians have suffered through weather events made more extreme, persistent and frequent by climate change. Atmospheric rivers, drought, wildfires and heat waves have brought death, destruction and economic loss in the billions of dollars.
Yet, these very same weather calamities are making it harder for California to break its dependence on dirty energy derived from fossil fuels.
In its quest to avoid power outages and skyrocketing energy bills, the governor’s administration recently extended the operating life of three aging natural gas power plants in Southern California. The plants were initially scheduled to close at the end of 2020 but have been allowed to remain operational through 2026 over the objections of environmental justice and clean-air advocates. Also in August, the state Public Utilities Commission approved an increase in allowable storage capacity at the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Storage facility near Porter Ranch, site of the largest gas leak in U.S. history.
If California is to turn the tide on its dependence on dirty energy, it needs to tap into the power of the ocean.
Rocky Jaramillo Rushing is a clean energy and transportation consultant for EcoEquity, which focuses on political and theoretical work on global climate solutions.