Obtaining energy from the Wadden Sea or North Sea offers many opportunities for Texel and the Noordkop, according to a TNO report. NH highlights three innovative companies that want to supply Waddenstroom. Today part 1: Slowmill’s wave energy. The company from Den Helder is already conducting tests off the coast of Texel. In the near future, work will be done on an installation that can actually supply power to the island.
“If you look at wave energy, you only have to lay a 10-kilometre line of wave energy devices in the sea to supply the whole of Texel with energy,” says director Erwin Meijboom. It has not yet reached that point, but in the near future we will be working hard on a demonstration unit that should be located off the coast at the end of this year. “We are the first Dutch company to test wave energy in the Dutch North Sea.”
Last week, a report was presented in The Hague about the Wadden that should encourage the government to do more with these types of alternative sustainable energy sources. Solar and wind energy are now receiving all the attention. But the Wadden Fund believes that other options should also be looked at, especially in that area. Slowmill in Den Helder was one of the North Holland companies that participated in the research.
“Water is 800 times denser than wind. So you can get much more energy from the same surface area than wind,” Meijboom explains. “Furthermore, the advantage is that you do not see wave energy from the beach. Very important for the Wadden Islands with all the tourists. And wave energy is a very reliable and continuous energy source. Waves continue constantly and you can therefore always get energy from them. It is therefore a great addition for when the sun doesn’t shine or the wind doesn’t blow.”
The Wadden Fund report, carried out by TNO, focuses on 2030. According to the calculations, the Gulf Stream, in combination with tidal current (ebb and flow) and energy from the meeting of fresh and salt water, could yield a lot for the entire Wadden region. That’s already six years away.
To stake
“2030 seems far away, but it is actually very close,” says Meijboom. “You have to start making plans now. In any case, that is what we are working on. This year we will make a first unit. After that we want to build golf parks. And then the Netherlands and the region will fully focus on this. Before 2030 it will be possible for us to produce 1 gigawatt of energy. Together with the existing sustainable sources, you can then supply all households in the Northern Netherlands with electricity. If we want, it can be done.”