‘Ocean could power N.Z.’

Press, 27 August 1979, Page 13

‘Ocean could power N.Z.’

Find a current off the coast of New Zealand and ocean-generated electricity could power the country, according to an aerodynamacist from Los Angeles, Dr Peter Lissaman. He was speaking at an informal function in Sydney, attended by Australian and New Zealand journalists. The topic was a new concept for harnessing ocean currents. Dr Lissaman was in Australia to attend the Industrial Design Institute’s commemorative forum. At present he is working on plans to harness the Gulf Stream off Florida. The untapped Atlantic Ocean current is said to have enough power to replace 4 per cent of oil imports in the United States. Dr Lissaman achieved fame this year with his one-man-power aircraft, Gossamer Albatross, which crossed the English Channel by pedal power

with the aid of ocean currents.

He predicts that a prototype turbine to harness ocean currents for power supply will be dropped into the Florida ocean region about 30 km east of Miami in 1984. Dr Lissaman said extensive surveys had already revealed that the Gulf Stream had 50 times more energy than all the world’s rivers. Research has indicated that the Gulf Stream is capable of providing 10,000 mW of electricity or the equivalent of 130 million barrels of oil a year. Dr Lissaman said $1 million has been spent on the design of ocean turbines each of about 171 m diameter and each able to produce 83 mW. He estimates the power cost at about 4c a kW-hour compared with the cost of nuclear power at 5c an hour. The 4c, he said, included capital, running and maintenance costs.