Like winter, but without the storms.
SURF:
Had some surf this week- along with some wind. Sure feels like winter around here- just without the rain. A weak cold front moved through today to kick up our surf and our winds. Tomorrow morning we may have a brief shot of offshore winds with dying chest high NW windswell- so get on it! Saturday morning looks pretty flat- but clean. Then another weak cold front is forecasted to move through late in the day into Sunday morning. We'll have more NW windswell building late Saturday too- but messy conditions of course. Long story short- we'll have off and on windswell this weekend with off and on winds. Here's the sun and tides for the weekend:
- Sunrise and sunset are:
- 6:52 AM
- 5:01 PM
- And tides are pretty straightforward this weekend:
- 6.5' in the morning
- -1.5' in the evening
- That's an 8' tide switch in about 6 hours (the tide will be dropping over a foot an hour). Plan your session accordingly!
FORECAST:
Not much change next week. More weak cold fronts are on tap unfortunately.
We should though have more groundswell filling in on Monday (vs. short interval windswell) for chest to shoulder high waves through Wednesday. Tuesday though may have another weak front move through so wind may be an issue again.
After that, more NW may arrive next Friday with shoulder high sets again.
Also on the charts may be some small SW groundswell which could give the OC chest high surf around the 22nd. Make sure to check out Twitter/North County Surf if anything changes between now and then.
BEST BET:
Tomorrow morning before the next weak front moves through this weekend. Or Monday- before the next weak front moves through Tuesday! Or next Friday (if another cold front doesn't arrive).
WEATHER:
Real winter seems to be hibernating for the moment. Just off and on weak cold fronts are in our near future. The current cold front moving through tonight will leave us with cool clear skies on Friday. Then the next weak front moves through on Saturday evening. Then it's clear and cool by Monday. THEN... the next weak front moves through on Tuesday! AND THEN... who knows, but I'm guessing we'll have another weak front late in the week.
NEWS OF THE WEEK:
A few years ago, I reported on the potential of ocean wave energy. We live on a watery planet of course. Roughly 71 percent of the Earth is covered in the stuff, and it’s constantly in motion -- tides surging rhythmically; powerful currents coursing beneath the surface; waves rolling across oceans and crashing against continents. All that motion produces mind-boggling quantities of kinetic energy, just a stone’s throw from some of the nation’s most populated areas. With more than 50 percent of the population living within 50 miles of coastlines, there is vast potential to provide clean, renewable electricity to communities and cities across the United States. So why haven’t we tapped into this plentiful, carbon-free power source lapping at our shores in a more aggressive manner? Here's the US Department of Energy to explain:
As it turns out, harnessing the might of the sea is harder than it sounds. The ocean is a vast reservoir of kinetic energy, but it’s also a challenging place to generate electricity. For starters, it’s important to be careful when combining electricity and water. On top of that, salt water can corrode metal components. Barnacles and other sea creatures can cling to exposed surfaces, blocking intakes and weighing down machinery. Storms and forceful waves can damage power systems or loosen them from their moorings. There are also logistical issues, like finding a spot with strong waves or currents (but not too strong), connecting to the grid via an undersea cable, and avoiding conflicts with shipping lanes, fishing grounds, military exercises or any of the myriad other ways we use our bustling coastal waters.
These are real challenges -- but the US Department of Energy Department funds a wide range of projects aimed at improving the performance and durability of wave energy devices, including developing industry standards for components like cables, seals and electronics. They also conduct research that will help developers identify suitable locations for ocean energy projects.
Of all the obstacles facing wave energy today, the biggest isn’t monster waves or encrusting crustaceans -- it's cost. Wind and solar have grabbed most of the renewable energy headlines in recent years because they’ve gotten dramatically cheaper in that time. But that didn’t happen overnight. Decades of research, testing and investment -- much of it supported by Energy Department initiatives -- have given us more reliable, cost-effective hardware, encouraging more installations and driving down energy prices.
The same needs to happen for wave power. Its proponents in the U.S. are still seeking the best way possible to generate electricity from the sea on a scale that makes economic sense. Solving that problem would be a massive step toward realizing this clean energy resource’s potential.
The same needs to happen for wave power. Its proponents in the U.S. are still seeking the best way possible to generate electricity from the sea on a scale that makes economic sense. Solving that problem would be a massive step toward realizing this clean energy resource’s potential.
But a Portland and Irish industrial companies (Vigor and Ocean Energy respectively) collaborated to complete the construction of a first of its kind renewable wave energy device called the OE 35 buoy. The 826-ton buoy measures 125 feet by 59 feet with a draft of 31 feet and has a potential rate capacity of up to 1.25 megawatts in electrical power production. Ocean Energy estimates that a 100 megawatt wave farm could power up to 18,750 American homes.
The buoy is shaped like an “L” with a long open chamber that sits below the water line and a turbine above the water. As water enters the open chamber it forces air upward, which turns the turbine to generate electricity. When the water recedes, it creates a vacuum and air rushes in to fill it, keeping the turbine spinning and the cycle repeats.
The buoy is shaped like an “L” with a long open chamber that sits below the water line and a turbine above the water. As water enters the open chamber it forces air upward, which turns the turbine to generate electricity. When the water recedes, it creates a vacuum and air rushes in to fill it, keeping the turbine spinning and the cycle repeats.
The buoy is set to be released off the coast of Oregon early in 2020 where it will make a 25-day journey to the U.S. Navy Wave Energy Test Site in Kanehoe Bay Hawaii for 12 months. “These are power stations so they will be in there for you know 30, 40, 50, years, so that’s the kind of time span you're looking at in terms of these devices, these are power plants,” McCarthy said.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, along with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, funded the $12 million project. “We hope Oregon will show the rest of the country that it is a false premise to suggest we have to choose between a robust economy and a healthier climate,” Vigor’s vice president of environmental services Alan Sprott said. “In Vigor we believe in, and in this project we’ve shown, that clean energy technologies can be an important part of our manufacturing economy that can drive jobs to engineer and build future clean energy infrastructure.”
The United States has a substantial wave energy resource off its coasts which could deliver up to 15% of the nation’s annual electricity demand. In Oregon alone, the estimated potential value to the local economy is $2.4 billion per annum with an associated 13,630 jobs. “As we transition to a clean energy economy we have to recognize the wonderful potential and the great potential of marine energy can help us meet our clean energy needs but also create so many good paying jobs,” Oregon Democratic Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici said. Ocean Energy’s long term plan is to build five more buoys for deployment at the Oregon wave Energy Test Site off the coast of Newport, Oregon.
PIC OF THE WEEK:
The East Coast is more than just Outer Banks barrels. Beware though- this spot has Great Whites about twice the size you find here in Southern California.
Keep Surfing,
Michael W. Glenn
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