Italian state-owned company Eni has installed a unit that can produce energy from sea waves in a pilot program that could be spread to offshore platforms being phased out.

"This technology is suitable for powering medium and large offshore assets and, in the future, will enable Eni to convert mature offshore platforms into renewable energy generation hubs," the company said in a statement Wednesday.

"Waves are the most underutilized renewable source in the world, with extremely high energy density, high predictability and low variability, making them a very promising future energy source suitable for the decarbonization of offshore processes," Eni said in the statement.

Decarbonization refers to the process of removing carbon dioxide by reducing emissions and carbon from the air.

The pilot plant, which Eni said has "peak power output of 51 kW," was installed at the Ravenna offshore site and has been integrated into "the world's only hybrid smart grid system featuring photovoltaics and energy storage." Ravenna is located along the Adriatic Sea coast about 90 miles south of Venice.

According to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, ocean wave energy is captured directly from surface waves or from pressure fluctuations below the surface.

According to a recently completed analysis of the U.S. wave energy resource potential, the total energy resources along the outer continental shelf stands at 2,640 terawatt hours per year, of which 1,170 TWH/yr are recoverable. Just like wind power is measured in gigawatts, wave power is usually measured in terawatt hours.

"That is an enormous potential, considering that just 1 TWh/yr of energy will supply around 93,850 average U.S. homes with power annually," BOEM said

While an abundance of wave energy is available, it is not all recoverable. Not all wave energy can be fully harnessed everywhere for reasons that include other competing uses of the ocean like shipping, commercial fishing, naval operations or environmental concerns in sensitive areas.

Diverse alternatives for decommissioned oil production rigs include using them to install wind power generators. There has been one proposal in the United States for turning them into areas to help preserve marine life.

Source: United Press International

Related Links
Oil and Gas News
All About Oil and Gas News at OilGasDaily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Stop interfering in Venezuela, Russia warns US
Moscow (AFP) March 30, 2019
Russia on Saturday warned Washington to stop interfering in the stand-off between Venezuela's government and the opposition movement, and once again defended its decision to send personnel to the country. "We recommend that the United States stop threatening Venezuela, smothering its economy and pushing it towards civil war in open violation of international law," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement. On Friday, a statement from the US National Security Advisor John B ... read more