Wave Energy Converters and Tidal Energy Converters Road to Commercial Viability

Abstract This paper will report on the status of the US power industry today and how close some Marine Energy Converters (MECs) options are to becoming commercially viable in the near future. The paper provides an overview of the rules and regulation that have been written in preparation for MEC entries into the power market place, some of the costs of full scale Wave Energy Converters (WECs) and Tidal Energy Converters (CECs), how these costs compare to existing new power plant options and some new promising lower cost MEC developments to look for in the near future.