Is it Time to End Subsidies for Wave and Tidal Energy?

Energy Gang

Wood Mackenzie

Tech News, Environment, Sustainability, Innovation, Renewable Energy, Technology, Alternative Energy, Energy, News, Cleantech, Wind Energy, Business, Climate Change, Solar Energy

4.6 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 14 January 2015

⏱️ 37 minutes

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Summary

Progress in wave and tidal energy hasn’t been slow – it’s been nonexistent. Despite media attention, strategic investments from large energy companies and strong support from national governments, the marine renewables industry has seen mostly technical failure over the last decade. According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, fewer than 150 megawatts of wave and tidal projects will be installed globally by the end of the decade -- a 72 percent reduction in earlier projections. Aside from creating dams, no companies have yet been able to competitively and reliably tap the waves or tides for electricity. So is it time to end support for marine renewables and spend money on more promising up-and-coming technologies? In this week’s show, we’ll look why companies operating in the space have struggled and ask whether it’s finally time to shift our attention. Then, we’ll discuss the increasingly important role of electric vehicles at the Detroit Auto Show. We’ll also talk about “One Knob,” an idea for creating a more free-market approach to residential energy efficiency. The Energy Gang is produced by Greentechmedia.com. The show features weekly discussion between energy futurist Jigar Shah, energy policy expert Katherine Hamilton and Greentech Media Editor Stephen Lacey. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

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0:00.0	For the week of January 14th, 2015, this is the Energy Gang from Green Tech Media. media.
0:15.0	Hello and welcome to the show.
0:17.0	I am Stephen Lacey, a senior editor at Green Tech Media.
0:21.0	In this program, we are going to be talking about wave and tidal energy.
0:26.5	A decade ago we might have talked about how much potential these technologies have and
0:30.9	today we're talking about why they've struggled so badly.
0:34.0	Then we're going to talk about trends from this week's Detroit Auto Show
0:38.0	and look at some new ideas for how to run energy efficiency programs here in the US, which have also struggled for various
0:45.3	reasons.
0:46.3	And at the end of the show, we'll tell you something you do not know.
0:49.3	Let us turn to my regular co-hosts and say hello, Jigger Shaw and Catherine Hamilton.
0:55.0	Catherine is a partner at the Clean Tech Public Policy Firm, 38 North Solutions.
1:00.0	She is here in Washington as always, and she's taking a break from a very busy week to join us.
1:04.8	Hey Catherine, how's it going?
1:06.4	Just great, thanks so much.
1:08.0	I saw your husband who was director for Clean Energy at the Sierra Club's Beyond Cold Campaign is going to be leaving his
1:15.1	position soon. Does that mean that the house is going to be clean and the
1:20.4	dinner will be cooked when you get home from your job every day?
1:24.0	Yeah that's my fantasy let me tell you. Now he has got so much going on it's it's really
1:30.8	great what he's doing so he's got a bunch of writing projects.
1:33.2	And there are also some multi-generational care needs
1:36.4	that he's going to step in for.
	...

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