The New Zealand government announced that it is offering a final grant of $880,000 (US$640,000) for firms developing innovative marine energy devices.
Energy and resources minister Gerry Brownlee today called on the country’s emerging marine energy industry to lodge applications for funding with the government’s Marine Energy Deployment Fund.
“The fund has been successful in stimulating interest and investment in testing the potential for marine energy in New Zealand,” he said. “New Zealand has a world-class wave and tidal energy resource, which will provide us with another form of renewable energy in the future.”
The Fund has already handed out three sets of funding to local firms. The first grant of NZ$1.85m (US$1.35m) was awarded to Crest Energy to support the installation of a tidal stream generator at the entrance to Kaipara Harbour, north of Auckland.
The second funding round of NZ$750,000 (US$540,000) was awarded to the WET-NZ project put forward by Power Projects and Industrial Research. The project proposes the installation of a moored sub-surface device that can adapt its position in response to changes in wave motion.
The third proposal, put forward by Chatham Islands Marine Energy Ltd (CHIME), was awarded NZ$2.16m (US$1.57m) last year and will see a shore-based device installed on the south-west coast of Chatham Island to capture wave energy. The project will involve the construction of an oscillating water column that will then power two 110KW Wells turbines.
The successful applicant or applicants for the fourth round of funding will need to meet a number of criteria, including a strong likelihood of their technology being commissioned.
A government study in 2008 found that over 7,000MW of wave energy reserves may be available in New Zealand, with around 1,000MW of tidal resources.
The Wellington Coastal Marine Area has also been the subject of a detailed feasibility study, which shows that it has exceptional tidal and ocean current resources, but limited wave resources. Further work is currently being undertaken to find the best location for wave energy generation.
The government expects the first demonstration projects to be completed in the next three to five years with the first commercial deployments in place within seven years.
