Diagramhttp://www.*****.com/ind/Kirtley_Sam/may172007.htmlEven...

Diagramhttp://www.kitco.com/ind/Kirtley_Sam/may172007.html

Even cheaper is the wave power. $50/MegaW hour

Out of all the wave power devices, the “Salter” Duck is the most efficient, generating electricity at under USD 0.05/kWh. The Duck was invented and developed in the 1970’s, by Professor Stephen Salter at the University of Edinburgh and the device generates electricity by bobbing up and down with the waves on the sea surface. Despite its ability to produce energy extremely efficiently the idea was killed off mid way through the 1980’s when a report from the EU “miscalculated” the cost of electricity produced by a factor of ten! They hugely overestimated capital cost, underestimating the reliability of underwater cables and ridiculously claiming that each Duck would cost the about the same as the prototype had cost. Recently, the “error” has been uncovered and the Salter Duck is getting more coverage and consideration.

Many view this “error” or “miscalculation” as a deliberate attempt to destroy the Salter Duck’s future as a source of electricity. Some believe that pressure from the Nuclear Industry may have influenced the EU in its decision to report that the Salter Duck was not economically viable as it would have seriously threatened the existence of nuclear power, which at the time was an extremely prominent emerging energy source. What does this tell us? Well it suggests that people in the nuclear industry felt threatened by the possibilities of wave power and that in itself adds credibility to the wave power idea. It also adds to the argument that marine renewables are the biggest single threat to nuclear power and the uranium bull market as the nuclear industry may have been forced to act this way.

Let us explain in a bit more detail how the Salter Duck actually works. The Salter Duck works by absorbing 90% of the energy from incoming waves and leaving a calmer sea behind the cam. The nodding motion of cam operated pistons then compress hydraulic oil and once this pressure has built up, the pressurised oil is released through a hydraulic motor that in turn converts 90% of the captured power to electricity.

Salter Duck Diagramhttp://www.kitco.com/ind/Kirtley_Sam/may172007.html