China is looking to large-scale renewable energy sources – particularly wave power – to overcome electricity shortages at outposts in the South China Sea.
The Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion – part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences – is looking into the feasibility of integrating wave, wind and solar energy into power systems to meet the daily needs of users and support development in the contested waters.
Wang Zhenpeng, an associate professor and member of the GEIC team, said on Thursday that the project aimed to prove the feasibility of large-scale renewable energy technology generation in the high seas.
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“This initiative builds on the GIEC’s earlier endeavours in wave-energy power generation devices, addressing energy shortages during the remote island development process,” Wang said.
China’s nine-dash claim covers much of the South China Sea, overlapping with rival claims by most other countries in the region. The waters not only harbour a wealth of resources, they are of great strategic importance and a source of tension between the neighbouring claimants.
The team did not say which South China Sea outposts were covered by the project but China has expanded a number of features in the waters into artificial islands over the past decade.
Essential services such as electricity, communications, and fresh water are in short supply in many of these outposts, where diesel presents logistical and environmental challenges. Solar and wind power are also not the whole solution because they do not produce energy all year round.
“In contrast, wave energy can be harvested throughout the year, unaffected by day, night, or cloud cover, making it a consistent and stable energy source,” Wang said.
The project will be headed by Sheng Songwei, a professor at the GIEC, which has been researching wave power since 1979.
The institute has developed a range of technology to harvest wave energy, although it is not clear which systems would be deployed.
One of the systems developed by Sheng’s team is the Nankun power generator, which by the institute’s estimates could support a community of 1,000 people.
The Nankun system was deployed in the southern city of Zhuhai in June last year.
“Chinese wave energy collection technology is now at an international leading level,” Chen Yong, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said at the system’s launch.
“This development not only improves the commercial viability of wave energy but also supports the growth of marine aquaculture.”
The Nankun has a “hawk-style” power generation platform equipped with wave-absorbing floaters resembling a hawk’s beak on either side.
“Due to the variability of wave energy, we incorporated an energy storage system within the platform. It’s similar to a dam, which collects smaller waves and releases accumulated energy once it’s full,” Wang said.
Researchers have also used wave energy to power aquaculture projects with the institute’s Penghu platform, which submerges itself during typhoons to avoid damage.
The Penghu combines seawater desalination, waste water treatment, and modern aquaculture production facilities such as automatic feeding, fish monitoring, water quality sensors, and live fish transport systems.
Wang said the institute had orders for 20 platforms from five provinces.
He said the team planned to refine the integration of offshore wave power generation platforms to include wind and solar power and energy storage to improve energy supplies for the islands in the South China Sea.
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