Israeli Wave Energy in China

October 26, 2008

The S.D.E. process is subject to the approval of the government of China, which it intends to target as the sole customer for the electricity generated. Electricity shortages in China are worsening every day, and current energy sources are problematic. With prices of crude oil rising fast, there is new interest in alternative sources of energy, and the idea of generating power from sea waves is becoming increasingly attractive.

The Tel Aviv company’s system produces renewable and clean energy from sea waves, which it claims have the potential to supply four times more energy per square meter than wind power. The system’s advantages are high efficiency, ability to modulate energy storage capabilities, and relatively low cost for construction and generation of electricity. The cost of erecting a one-megawatt wave power station starts at US $650,000, compared with US $900,000 for a similarly-sized natural gas station, US $1.5 million for a coal-fired or wind-powered station, and US $3 million for a solar power station.

US investors have taken note of S.D.E.’s advances. Managing director Shmuel Ovadia told ISRAEL21c. “We’re currently in talks to raise US $100 million from US investors, and we’re negotiating building a 30 MW sea wave power plant in San Francisco at a cost of US $20 million.” The first commercial, full-scale model of the system, capable of generating 40 electrical kilowatts (eKW) has been working successfully for a year and is located at the Jaffa Port in Tel Aviv–Yafo.

www.Israel21c.org

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