Abstract
The possibility of Chile producing significant amounts of renewable power from waves and tide has been gaining increasing national and international attention in recent years, fuelled by the levels of resource available in Chile, recent technological progress internationally and the vision, drive and commitment of certain organisations and individuals. The economic and regional development benefits of marine energy deployments are also increasingly widely recognised. Given the early development stage of wave and tidal power technologies, there are numerous challenges to be overcome before commercial projects can happen in Chile. Whilst this will take some time, there is a sense of urgency to define what the eventual contribution of marine energy to Chile´s energy mix might be, and what role Chile wishes to play in marine energy development in the interim.
This study combines knowledge of the energy situation in Chile with experience and understanding from more than a decade of marine energy activity internationally and specifically from Orkney in the UK, where 20 wave and tidal devices have been deployed and 11 commercial leases awarded. A lot has been achieved in the UK, but many lessons have also been learned. The aim of this project is to use this collective insight to propose steps that can help maximise Chile´s marine energy potential.