News in Science

Ocean power could supply entire cities

Sizeable source A report released by the CSIRO has found ocean power generated by waves, currents and tides could supply a city the size of Melbourne by 2050.

In homes across the country, power bills are under scrutiny as prices continue to rise.

The CSIRO has also been running the ruler over a range of future energy options including ocean power which is generated from waves, tides and currents.

The report, Ocean renewable energy: 2015-2050, found that areas that could benefit from wave energy technology include Perth, the southern coastline and to a lesser extent the east coast of Australia.

It also identifies north east Tasmania and the Kimberley region in Western Australia as areas best placed for tidal technology.

Alex Wonhas, the director of CSIRO's Energy Transformed Flagship, says waves could be a big part of the future.

"We found it could provide up to 10 per cent of Australia's future energy needs by 2050. That's roughly equivalent of a city the size of Melbourne," he says.

But that is likely to be a long way off. Wonhas says getting ocean energy off the sea floor and into homes is fraught with environmental as well as technical and commercial barriers.

"The technical challenges are really around making sure these devices last in the quite hostile ocean environment for maybe one or two decades," he says.

"The commercial challenge is about reducing the cost of these devices."

Perth-based company Carnegie is working on technology to harness the power of waves.

It recently signed a deal with defence to supply power to Australia's largest naval base at Garden Island near Perth.

The company's chief operating officer, Greg Allen, says the company has invested more than $60 million with another $16 million coming from state and federal governments.

"The overall cost of the project is more than the revenue that we'll get from the sale of powers will recover," he says.

While it may be more expensive for some time to come, Allen says Australia risks falling behind without the investment.

"It's not just the Australian Government that's doing this. Other governments around the world are funding the emerging renewable technologies - and in particular wave."