“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”
Jon Kabat-Zinn
The constant news this summer about weather-related disasters has been kind of depressing. But there is also a lot to be hopeful about. Solar and wind are the darlings of clean energy right now, but something else is on the horizon. If you have ever been tossed around by the surf at the beach, you probably appreciate the incredible power of the ocean. Wave energy could give renewables a boost in the near future.
Nature holds all the power we need. Clean (aka renewable) energy is about harnessing that power without sending heat-trapping gas into the atmosphere. Scientists have known for years that burning fossil fuels causes our air and ocean temperatures to rise. Now that we’re starting to see the troubling effects of warmer temperatures, hopefully government and corporate leaders will feel more urgency to accelerate the transition to renewables.
Wave energy
Wave energy is a type of hydropower, which is a branch of the renewable energy family tree. There hasn’t been as much investment in wave energy as other renewable options, so the technology is lagging behind. Luckily, things are moving along quickly now, and several companies are piloting different strategies for capturing the massive power of the ocean. The potential is mind-boggling: waves off the US coasts could produce approximately 65% of all the energy we generate in a given year.
Solar and wind are on a roll, and are now less expensive than oil and gas, but one downside of each is they are intermittent. In contrast, wave energy is continuous. It could potentially be paired in the same location as wind turbines to offset the intermittency issues. Wave and wind might turn out to be perfect dance partners.
As with every technology there is upside and downside.
Upside of wave energy:
- Energy potential is massive
- No pollution is created, and it would reduce our need for fossil fuels
- Could potentially pair well with wind turbines
Downside of wave energy:
- Technology is lagging behind solar and wind
- Will be more expensive at first
- The devices need to be extremely durable
Dr. Jonathan Foley, Executive Director of Project Drawdown, is one of the smartest climate guys out there. His view is we need to focus on quickly implementing the tools we have available today. And he’s right. But it’s also exciting to learn about the ideas that may give clean energy a boost down the road.
While it can feel overwhelming when you hear almost constant news about weather disasters, there are so many reasons to be hopeful about solving climate change. It will stop warming when we stop burning, so…
Let’s do something about climate change. Learn about it. Think about it. Talk about it.