A study by the British Embassy in Chile ensures that through 2020 the energy produced by waves, wave energy, will be competitive and that Chile has the greatest potential in the world, best plant factor and the ability to produce this type of energy at costs that are up to 30% lower than in the Anglo-Saxon country. The study estimates a potential of 240 GW.
At least 100 MW per year of energy from the waves could be installed in Chile from 2020, when the wave energy is expected to be commercially competitive, as revealed by the study conducted by the British Embassy in Chile: Recommendations for Chile’s Marine Energy Strategy: a roadmap for development“
This research combines knowledge about the energy situation in Chile with the experience and the study achieved from more than a decade of international activity in marine energy, especially in Orkney, UK, where 20 devices have been implemented for wave and tidal energy and where 11 commercial use areas have been awarded.
Execution of the study
The study involved the participation of more than 200 organizations, including the Ministry of Energy and the Renewable Energy Centre (CER), and people through interviews and workshops in nine of Chile’s fifteen regions, in order to delineate recommendations for the development of marine energy in Chile.
Andrés Bauza, CER specialist who participated in the study, says, “it is an excellent diagnostic that will much contribute when defining a roadmap for marine energy in Chile. In fact, it recommends that in the first stage of marine energy development, the focus should not be on the electricity market, but in other areas, such as desalination and remote areas, where it can be more competitive due to the sector’s technological maturity”.
Wave energy, a renewable resource
Wave energy is Chile’s most important renewable resource. Its potential is estimated at 240 GW according to a study by Baird & Associates, and wave activity is intense enough to produce energy in the entire Pacific coast.
“It could be stated that Chile is the best place in the world for wave energy generation, with over 4,000 km of coastline exposed to constant waves of high energy, in addition to concentrating all of the energy demand on the coast or relatively close to it due to the country’s narrow geography, “says the study.
Average power levels range from 20 kW / m in northern Chile to 50 kW / m in Los Lagos and plant factors for wave energy projects in Chile are among the highest in the world (50%), because of the waves’ high consistency.
A technology of future
As marine energy has not yet been developed commercially, this means that “Chile has the opportunity to play a key role in its development and to establish a manufacturing capacity that would be difficult to achieve in more established industries, such as wind and solar energy where the equipment is mostly imported, “says Bauza.
One of the sectors that might be interested is the mining industry, as according to the Government of Chile, for 2020, it will require 6.3 TWh / year of energy. Also this small-scale technology would serve thousands of isolated communities, salmon farms and touristic sites, with limited power and / or water access.
Competitive advantages
Chile has competitive advantages over other countries because the cost of labor in Chile is lower than in the UK, the cost of general vessels, crew and divers is also lower and there are several free trade zones, in addition to tax incentives in Chile’s north and south extremes.
Current trends indicate that marine energy should be able to compete with other forms of renewable energy in the main electricity network by the mid-2020s.
