The Obama administration is seeking a 25% cut in the research and development budget for wave and tidal power. The administration has sought to cut wave and tidal research funding from $40 million to $30 million. At the same time the White House sought an 82% increase in solar power research funding, a 14% increase in geothermal funding and a 36% increase in wind power funding.
The decision to cut funding for tidal and wave power research came only weeks after the Interior Department recommended that wave power could emerge as the leading offshore energy source in the Northwest and at a time when efforts to develop tidal power in Puget Sound are attracting national and international attention.
By some estimates, wave and tidal power could eventually meet 10% of the nation’s electricity demand, about the same as hydropower currently delivers. Some experts have estimated that if only 0.2% of energy in ocean waves could be harnessed, the power produced would be enough to supply the entire world.
In addition to Puget Sound and the Northwest coast, tidal and wave generators have been installed, planned or talked about in New York’s East River, in Maine, Alaska, Hawaii and off Atlantic City, New Jersey. However, they would generate only small amounts of power.
The proposed cut, parts of the president’s budget submitted to Congress, has disappointed Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.
Wave and tidal power holds great promise in helping to meet America’s long-term energy needs, Murray said, adding that Washington state is a leader in its development. It’s time for the Department of Energy to focus on this potential. But playing budget games won’t get the work done.
In addition to cutting funds in its budget proposal, Murray’s staff said that while $16.8 billion in the recently passed stimulus bill is reserved for renewable energy and energy efficiency, none of it is earmarked for wave and tidal power.
Energy Department spokesman Tom Welch, however, said the Obama administration is asking for 10 times more for tidal and wave power than the Bush administration did.
The trend line is up, Welch said. The department is collaborating with industry, regulators and other stakeholders to develop water resources, including conventional hydro.
Murray sees it differently. For the current year, Congress appropriated $40 million so the Obama administration proposal actually would cut funding by a fourth.
Utility officials involved in developing tidal energy sources said the administration’s approach was shortsighted.
We need all the tools in the tool belt, said Steve Klein, general manager of the Snohomish County, Wash., Public Utility District. It’s dangerous to anoint certain sources and ignore others.