MARINE ENERGY
High water level tank
Shutter valve
Pump/turbine
Control & monitoring unit
Low water level tank
Tidal test set-up at HZ, with a high and low basin.
Climate Power Plant COMBINING WATER SAFETY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCTION AND STORAGE MARINE ENERGY TODAY EXISTS IN MANY FORMS, HOWEVER MOST INITIATIVES TO REALISE MARINE ENERGY POWER PLANTS ARE STILL IN THEIR INITIAL PHASE. UPSCALING AND COMMERCIALISATION HIGHLY DEPENDS ON PARTIES WILLING TO INVEST. ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF HZ UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES, UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE.
4 2 | O S I 2 0 2 1 | Volum e 14 | Issue 1
Project HZ.indd 42
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ike many other innovations, expenses of development are high and make investors hesitant, not in the least as many relevant companies have been focusing on the development of offshore wind and solar energy that recently left their infancy to become price competitive sources. In the Netherlands, a research-consortium is working on a power plant that combines the functionality of a tidal power plant with a water pumping station. With this innovative solution, a so-called pumping tidal power plant, tidal power can – at reduced costs – be added to a pumping station (which is necessary to face the rising sea level). As this facility adapts to climate change (pumping) and also mitigates (production of clean electricity), it is called a Climate Power Plant. The lead partner
involved is HZ University of Applied Sciences (Vlissingen, the Netherlands) and Offshore Industry has a word with Professor Jacob van Berkel from this educational institute.
Huge potential
Mr Van Berkel proposed the development of a climate power plant in his inaugural speech in 2017, when he joined HZ as Lector Delta Power. “Vlissingen is located in the Dutch province of Zeeland, which is part of a river delta and thus surrounded by water”, Mr Van Berkel says. “Flowing water, wind, and sun are sources of energy that we have a surplus of over here. By cleverly using these sources, sustainable electricity can be generated in several ways. Which technique is the best one? And what yields the most at
o ffs h o re -i n d u s tr y. e u
04-02-2021 13:33
