T

idal-stream arrays are a bit like offshore wind farms but underwater. They consist of turbines, energy-capture mechanisms and generator/power take-offs, foundations or support structures/moorings, methods of seabed attachment for maintaining the turbines in the required positions within the water column, electrical systems, inter-array power cables, connectors, export-power transmission cables, transformers and switch gear.

Other significant elements in the mix are site surveys, data acquisition, generators, turbine-array designs, onshore/offshore substations, power-transmission cables, cable connectors, rated power and voltage levels, resource and yield modeling, hydrodynamic models, risk assessments, project economics, project schedules and installation as well as operations and maintenance (O&M).

After 25 years of ocean-energy device research and development (R&D) and offshore pilot-device testing in the UK, followed by six years since entering its commercialization phase, the UK leads the world in ocean-energy technology and particularly with tidal-stream turbine array developments.

The UK has three offshore test centers and commercial-scale tidal energy turbine arrays are growing fast around the British Isles including the world'€™s largest (398 megawatt) tidal-array project which is presently being installed there by MeyGen and scheduled for completion in 2018.

The choice of a particular turbine design, optimized for tidal flows, water depth and other factors at the resource site is a key development decision, with other elements being principally driven by the selected turbines and site-specific met ocean conditions.

Submerged turbines, some modeled on wind-turbine technology, are mounted underwater on the seabed or estuary floor.

There are a number of designs available, some with a horizontal axis and some vertical. Because the natural daily tidal flow continues unchecked with these technologies, the devices have minimal environmental impact.

Clearly, positioning turbines underwater makes installation and maintenance more difficult and adds to cost.

However, the electrical output from these devices is much more reliable and predicable than, say, wind or solar and tidal turbine-maintenance cycles are five-yearly or longer.

In areas of known high currents, the direction of flow is constant so that no '€œyawing'€ mechanism is required to align the turbines toward the flow. This typically describes some of the main elements of ocean energy tidal-stream facilities.

Tidal-stream is considered the most ready of all ocean energy technologies and is suitable for deployment at certain locations along the Indonesian coastline and its many islands, with constantly strong currents and generally benign met ocean conditions.

Recently, the UK government formally approved the transfer of ocean-energy technology from the UK to Indonesia.

This is a clear opportunity for Indonesia to benefit from the UK'€™s previous long-term R&D investments and go straight to the commercial stage (thereby saving 25 years) with tidal stream.

However, in order to capture and secure this proven power-generation technology, the Indonesian government needs to complete its policy for ocean energy while encouraging any existing early-stage commercial developments, so it can fully capitalize on and take advantage of this unconditional offer of support from the UK government.

While ocean energy Feed-in Tariff (FiT) agreement challenges continue to be uncertain in some countries, this is not the case in the UK, France, Canada and the US, where there is robust government agreement on policy support for the ocean-energy industry including long-term expedient tariffs, guaranteed through public-private partnerships (PPPs) and 25-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) designed of course to further encourage industry development, up-scale projects and provide investor clarity and confidence.

China, Thailand and others in the region are showing heightened interest and activity in developing their own ocean energy facilities.

However, interestingly, Indonesia'€™s archipelago has the largest ocean resources for tidal devices in the region and recent estimates show that Indonesia could be providing zero-emission ocean energy electricity to circa 200,000 people within three years and more than 1 million people in five to seven years.

Exactly what these environmentally safe, predictable, reliable, renewable, sustainable, invisible and silent ocean energy power-generation facilities represent is a vast, infinite '€œreturn on investment'€ for Indonesia which would greatly benefit Indonesia'€™s future economy; reduce subsidies for unreliable, dirty, noisy, expensive, diesel-fuelled generation in remote locations; increase the nation'€™s energy security; and improve the welfare of remote-location peoples, while creating high-tech, high-value employment for many more Indonesians as the tidal-stream power generation sector grows.

Hopefully, the new government of President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo will demonstrate its commitment to supporting renewable ocean energy power-generation projects through viable, workable policies and meaningful fiscal incentives.

Accepting the opportunity to encourage development of ocean energy power-generation facilities for Indonesia will in turn further reinforce President Jokowi'€™s inspired vision of Indonesia as a future global maritime axis.

Ocean energy facilities represent a significant game-changing opportunity which Indonesia can use '€” not only for its peoples'€™ benefit in so many ways but also to demonstrate to other ASEAN countries that it is a true nation-builder and nation-leader.
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The writer is group chairman and CEO of SBS Intl Ltd.