WHY IS WAVE ENERGY NECESSARY?
According to a report by the European nuclear society, calculations in the United Nations show that the world population will increase to about 10 billion people by 2050. Parallel to the population growth, the global energy requirement will rise considerable despite all further efforts concerning the rational use of energy. According to calculations by the World Energy Council, the world-wide primary energy consumption of currently about 12 billion tonnes coal equivalent per year will grow to a level of between 16 and 24 billion tonnes coal equivalent per year depending on the economic, social and political developments by the year 2020. This growth will mainly be based on fossil energy carriers which presently cover hardly 90% of the requirement. Hydrodynamic power and nuclear power cover at present about five percent each of the remaining 10 percent.
The guaranteed and economically mine-able energy reserves as of 2006 of natural gas, mineral oil, Uranium and coal world-wide amount to the following quantities:
· Natural gas: 245 billion t coal equivalent
· Mineral oil/shales/liquid gas: 239 billion t coal equivalent
· Natural uranium: 36 billion t coal equivalent
· Coal (all forms): 748 billion t coal equivalent.
But data from U.S Energy information administration shows that we have already crossed the projected usage rate in 2008! The year wise and region wise data for which can be found on:
According to a report by the European nuclear society, calculations in the United Nations show that the world population will increase to about 10 billion people by 2050. Parallel to the population growth, the global energy requirement will rise considerable despite all further efforts concerning the rational use of energy. According to calculations by the World Energy Council, the world-wide primary energy consumption of currently about 12 billion tonnes coal equivalent per year will grow to a level of between 16 and 24 billion tonnes coal equivalent per year depending on the economic, social and political developments by the year 2020. This growth will mainly be based on fossil energy carriers which presently cover hardly 90% of the requirement. Hydrodynamic power and nuclear power cover at present about five percent each of the remaining 10 percent.
The guaranteed and economically mine-able energy reserves as of 2006 of natural gas, mineral oil, Uranium and coal world-wide amount to the following quantities:
· Natural gas: 245 billion t coal equivalent
· Mineral oil/shales/liquid gas: 239 billion t coal equivalent
· Natural uranium: 36 billion t coal equivalent
· Coal (all forms): 748 billion t coal equivalent.
But data from U.S Energy information administration shows that we have already crossed the projected usage rate in 2008! The year wise and region wise data for which can be found on:
In the World Energy Outlook 2013 New Policies scenario, coal demand increases 0.7% per year from 2011 to 2035, gas increases 1.6% pa, and oil increases 1.1% pa to 2020 then 0.4% pa. For electricity, coal use increases 35% to 2035 thus reducing its share of generation from 41% to 33%, gas increases 72% so that its share remains at 22%, nuclear increases 66% pa to hold its 12% share, and renewables other than hydro increase 483%. So it is an undeniable fact that the renewable energy is a sector that has got to grow considerably. We shall particularly focus on the prospects of using nearshore wave energy in USA.