INSIGHT: How ocean energy can contribute to a more resilient recovery
As we plan for economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, or the UN SDGs, are more crucial than ever. The world needs a map that supports prioritizing human health and the health of the planet, fighting hunger and poverty, creating sustainable jobs… in other words, building back better. The UN SDGs can provide this map – and ocean energy has a broad role to play in achieving these goals by creating jobs, providing clean power, promoting energy security, protecting ecosystems and reducing CO2.
Oceans cover 70 percent of the surface of our planet, produce more than half of our oxygen, and absorb over half our CO2. They are their own economy, with an estimated value between $3-6 trillion per year USD globally. More than three billion people rely on the oceans for their livelihoods.
The UN Conference on the Oceans was scheduled for this June, but like so many events it had to be postponed because of the Coronavirus. Seabased was looking forward to speaking at the conference about how ocean energy can help realize the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Here are some of the ways:
SDG #7: AFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY
One of the biggest accomplishments in the evolution of the renewable industry was that renewables became ubiquitous and affordable because of the industry’s technological innovation and the commitment of governments to support them. That’s where ocean energy is also heading: providing affordable, clean power for the world’s coastal cities and islands. Abundant energy is embodied in ocean waves, tides, and winds; all of it is CO2 free. As the sector and its supply chains develop, it too will be cost competitive in more and more areas of the world.
SDG #8: DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH
The goal of this SDG is to promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. As mentioned, more than three billion people rely on the oceans for their livelihoods. One study showed that even now, about 1,350 direct jobs and 500 full time jobs exist around ocean energy. And the sector is just getting going. Ocean Energy Europe’s CEO, Rémi Gruet, writes that installing 100GW of ocean energy will provide 400,000 high quality European jobs by 2050. Energy is essential to economic development. And ocean energy that also protects ecosystems and sea life, as well as the beauty of coastlines in areas that rely on tourism, plays a key role in sustaining productive employment.
SDG #9: INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
This SDG is about building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization and fostering innovation. Marine energy industries are a literal blue ocean of possibility for future innovation and industrial production. The OEE projects a global market for ocean energy of €53 billion by 2050. In many respects, ocean energy is where wind energy was in the 1970s except that current technology makes development exponentially faster.
Ocean energy can help decarbonize islands. Producing their own renewable energy will enable them to replace polluting fossil fuels and become energy independent. Insurance company MAPFRE lauds marine energy as the energy security source of the future. Ocean energy is built to withstand storms—necessarily because of the challenges of the ocean environment. There is no risk of fuel spills, unlike offshore drilling or importing fossil fuels. And marine energy technologies can create local jobs within existing maritime infrastructure. Accessible energy makes innovation and industrialization possible.
SDG#13: CLIMATE ACTION
Taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts is the goal of this SDG. Ocean energy is an important part of the fight against climate change. It emits no CO2 and, according to OEE estimates, can avoid 234 million tonnes of CO2 in Europe alone. One of the struggles in shifting toward 100 percent renewables stems from the natural variability of supply of wind and solar energy. A successful green transition requires balancing renewables with each other, such as wind and wave, so that there’s a more even supply of power to the grid. Wave energy continues to produce for hours after the wind drops, smoothing electricity output. Waves are available 24/7 and are very dense, so they build slowly and release energy more slowly than wind. Power grid operators can predict days in advance how much electricity will be channeled from wave-to-grid.
By investing in and developing ocean energy, we can significantly reduce the amount of carbon produced and thus the amount the oceans must absorb. And we make it more possible for grid operators to move toward their renewable energy goals. The ocean is the world’s climate protector—now more than ever.
SDG #14: LIFE BELOW WATER
The SDG that is at the fore of the UN Oceans Conference aims to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. Ocean energy provides a clean source of power without negatively affecting marine life. Like all sectors, we have a duty to be mindful of the precious resource we’re working with. Seabased, for example, has been collaborating with researchers for over a decade to discover ways to not only avoid harm, but actually provide support to the ecosystem. By placing holes in the concrete bases of our generators we can often increase the biodiversity around the wave energy parks. Creatures are drawn to the hard structures where they can live, much the way birds are drawn to bird houses. In some areas, populations of Norway Lobsters – Europe’s most important commercial crustacean – have grown around the wave parks, and even spilled outside of them where they are available for local fishing. This is power that benefits its ecosystem.
Seabased looks forward to participating in the UN Oceans Conference when it is held. In the meantime, we and many of our fellow ocean energy companies will keep pushing the industry forward with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals top of mind.