The Present Status of Ocean Energy Exploration in China
The Present Status of Ocean Energy Exploration in China
In China, the utilization of tidal energy with modern technologies started in the year of 1956. Several tidal power stations were built in Fujian and Guangdong Provinces for pumping water for irrigation. After then, it entered the phase of tidal electricity power conversion. The development could be concluded in three different stages. The first stage could be dated back to 1958. At that time, 40 small tidal power stations with the capacity of dozen kilowatt were built. Anther dozens of tidal power station with larger capacity were built in the second stage around the year of 1970, among them, Jiangxia tidal power plant and Baishakou power plant were the largest ones with the capacity of 3,000 kW respectively. Unfortunately, most of the tidal power stations built in those two stages were out of service due to wrong siting, backward technology and conflict service between irrigation and navigation purpose, and inconvenience in use etc. At present, there are seven tidal power stations and one tide flood power station in operation with a total capacity of 11NW. The third stage has started since the end of 1970¡¯s. The emphasis is put on the further improvement and scientific management on the existing stations, optimizing their economical and social benefits, inviting experts for site investigation of a 10 MW tidal power station and conducting experiments on comprehensive utilization on new and renewable energy resources in Pingtan Island of Fujian Province and Dachen Island of Zhejiang Province. The Xingfuyang tidal power plant in Pingtan Island built in 1985 with a total installed capacity of 1.28 MW, was put into operation in May 1989. The feasibility study of a 10 MW level intermediate experimental tidal power station in Jiantiao Port of Zhejiang Province and Daguanban Port of Fujian Province has been worked out. The planning of the Maluanwan tidal power plant is under way.
Since the middle of 1970s, the wave energy power conversion research projects have been progressively carried out in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Dalian, Qingdao, Beijing and Tianjin. In 1975, Shanghai boiler Works developed a prototype of floating eave energy power generating device an tested it on sea site. Later on, Shanghai Research Institute of Hydrographic Bureau developed a four-valve type wave energy power conversion device for beacon light power supply and produced 10 sets in 1985 for demonstration. In the same year, Guangzhou Research Institute of Energy Conversion of Chinese Academy of Sciences developed a prototype if BD-102 type wave energy conversion device with symmetrical wing air turbine for beacon light power which was filed a patent in National Patent Bureau and put fifty units of such new design into trial production in 1987 and distributed to the Hydrographic Departments in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Tianjin. Besides, the feasibility study and pilot study of the various kinds of coastal wave power experimental station for different coastal sites are under way. Among them, the Daiwanshan wave power pilot station with a capacity of 8 kW has been ready for installing its first generator of 3 kW. The feasibility study of Lanyu wave force power station has been completed by Taiwan Electric Power Company in March, 1989.
For tidal current power generation, an experimental work was carried out in 1978 in Zhou Shan sea area for fundamental study. Two sets of electricity generation device with propeller hydraulic drive were installed, their power output reached 5.7 kW under the maximum current flow rate of 3 m/s. Recently, some other novel tidal current power conversion systems are under further research and development in Qingdao and Harbin.
For OTEC, two projects of ¡°Lifting Cycle by Fog Drops¡± and ¡°Open Cycle of Oceanic Thermal Energy Conversion¡± are conducted in Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences. An open cycle experimental OTEC system was built in 1986 with a temperature difference of 20¡ã C and using water as working medium.
An experimental power generation device operated by salinity difference was conducted in Xi¡¯an in 1985.