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A tidal turbine weighing 680 metric tons and dubbed “the world’s most powerful” has been launched from the Port of Dundee in Scotland, marking another significant step forward in the development of the U.K.’s marine energy sector. In an announcement Thursday, Scottish firm Orbital Marine Power said its 2 megawatt (MW) turbine, the Orbital O2, would now be towed to the Orkney Islands, an archipelago north of mainland Scotland, for commissioning. ...Looking ahead, the European Commission wants the capacity of ocean energy technologies to hit 100 MW by 2025 and roughly 1 GW by 2030.

A Texas firm plans to use power generated by the Gulf of Mexico's waves to make its salty water drinkable. Renew Blue Inc. says its project can address two global problems — climate change and scarce drinking water — by using clean energy to turn seawater to freshwater. The company has a lease from the state of Texas to place the facility in 25 feet of water about a mile off the coast from Freeport. It will use 18 specially designed, wave-powered pumps to send water over a wheel that will turn a small electric turbine. Power from the turbine...

... Tapping the power of waves and tidal currents to generate electricity is promoted as one of many promising alternatives to the fossil fuels that contribute to global warming. But no one knows exactly how the technologies will behave in the water, whether animals will get hurt, or if costs will pencil out. The permitting process is expensive and cumbersome, and no set method exists for getting projects up and running. ... A new report that collected findings from dozens of scientists raises concerns about the impact wave-energy developments could have on the ocean and its critters. Wave-energy buoys could...

"Anaconda" Could Provide up to 20 MW of Wave Energy Swindon, UK [RenewableEnergyWorld.com] A device consisting of a giant rubber tube may hold the key to producing affordable electricity from the energy in sea waves. Invented in the UK, the "Anaconda" is a new wave-energy concept. Researchers working on the device say its simple design means it would be cheap to manufacture and maintain, possibly enabling it to produce clean electricity at lower cost than other types of wave energy converter. Cost has been a key barrier to deployment of such converters to date. Named after the snake of the...

Scottish ministers have announced funding for what has been described as the world's biggest wave energy farm. The Pelamis device has been tested at the European Marine Energy Centre (Emec) on Orkney by Leith-based company Ocean Power Delivery. Scottish Power wants to commission four more at the same site. Deputy First Minister Nicol Stephen announced a £13m funding package that will also allow a number of other marine energy devices to be tested. Ocean Power Delivery has already exported the Pelamis for use in a commercial wave farm. The large, tubular segments were taken to a site off the northern...

NEWCASTLE, England — There is more riding the waves here than surfers, thanks to a growing number of scientists, engineers and investors. A group of entrepreneurs is harnessing the perpetual motion of the ocean and turning it into a commodity in high demand: energy. Right now, machines of various shapes and sizes are being tested off shores from the North Sea to the Pacific — one may even be coming to the East River in New York State this fall — to see how they capture waves and tides and create marine energy. The industry is still in its infancy,...