Hybrid wave energy for PHL marine transport pushed

A seafarer-turned-businessman is asking the government’s support for his proposal for a wave energy to be implemented in the Philippine marine-transportation sector.

Engr. Jonathan Salvador, owner of a shipyard in Barangay Lagatik, New Washington, Aklan, said in an interview with the BusinessMirror on Tuesday that he is asking the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to support his proposal. He said his idea of hybrid wave energy has been endorsed by the College of Fisheries and Marine Sciences of the Aklan State University (ASU) based in this town.

The ASU has endorsed Salvador’s idea to the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) of the DOST.

The proposal is dubbed as the “Development of a Hybrid Fast Craft Passenger and Cargo Vessel Using Multi and Alternative Energy Source from Ocean Waters”.

“In my proposal, we will be using gas to start the engine. Then, when the vessel is in the middle of the sea, we will be using wave energy. We will be using the Trimaran Model, an innovation of the Filipino traditional motorboat,” Salvador said, adding that the boat is safe and environment-friendly.

Salvador said he has finished preparing a module for the wave-energy concept, but could not release it to the public yet for intellectual property-rights issues.

“I am confident with my concept because I have already shown it to my European counterparts,” he said.

He explained that wave energy is feasible being a renewable energy.

“As the vessel runs into the sea, it creates friction. We could use the friction generated to create electricity. As the vessel runs through the smooth sea, the ship captain can have an option to use gas or navigate the boat to create additional friction. The boat could also run faster compared to traditional boats,” he told the BusinessMirror.

With the Philippines as an archipelago, the use of wave energy is feasible, and the boats could travel short distances for a start.

In 2002 Salvador said he has written a letter to then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the implementation of the Strong Republic Nautical Highway (SRNH), which was acknowledged by Malacanang.

In 2003 Arroyo opened the SRNH, connecting islands for tourism and trade. The SRNH policy was formulated in the time of President Fidel V. Ramos.

Engr. Nonilo Peña, chief of the Science Research Specialist, Energy and Utilities Systems Technology Development Division of PCIEERD, has written a letter to ASU, dated April 21, indicating that the proposal for the use of wave energy has passed the initial screening for the PCIEERD Special Call for Proposal for 2016.

Peña has recommended to ASU that Salvador and the university provide a more comprehensive discussion on the current marine-transport scenario, and include statistical data, provide a concept design and indicate the raw materials to be used in the hull.

He added the proponent should consult with the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, or at least a naval architect, as part of the project team.

“I had already complied with all such requirements. I was told that the PCIEERD may release its decision to my proposal this June or July,” Salvador said.

“There is a huge potential in the research and use of wave energy, since it is now starting research,” Salvador added.

Salvador has worked for 20 years with a Norwegian shipping company. He later decided to put up a shipyard in the province that repairs boats mostly from the island of Boracay.

He received the Outstanding Aklanon Award in 2009 for his ingenuity in the field of marine transport.