Projects

The energy provided is most often used in desalination plants, power plants and water pumps.

Just like wind mills and wind turbines that generate power and electricity from the wind, scientists are now working to generate power from the sea

Wave energy is among the impressive list of renewable energy resources that is being developed in the United States.

nstead of generating electricity at sea and sending it to shore, a different kind of wave energy device is in the works in Australia, and it promises to deliver not only emissions-free electricity, but also emissions-free desalinated water.The technology, called CETO after a Greek sea goddess, is being developed by Carnegie Wave Energy Limited, and their upcoming 2MW pilot project near the Perth Wave Energy demo site will be the first wave powered desalination plant in world

Motions in nature, for example ocean waves, can play a significant role in tomorrow's electricity production, but the constructions require adaptations to its media. Engineers planning hydropower plants have always taken natural conditions, such as fall height, speed of flow, and geometry, as basic design parameters and constraints in the design

Extensive simulations of the wave energy concept are presented, along with results from the experimental setup of a multisided permanent magnet linear generator. The prototype is designed through systematic electromagnetic field calculations. The experimental results are used for the verification of measurements in the design process of future full-scale direct wave energy converters. The present paper, describes the energy conversion concept from a system perspective, and also discusses the economical and some environmental considerations for the project.

What is wave power? Wave power is renewable energy derived from ocean waves. It is the kinetic energy of wind interacting with water and creating waves

Wave energy is generated by the wind

The best wave energy environments are along western coastlines because the largest, most consistent winds come from the west,

With this technology, sea water turbines do not come into contact with water

Instead, a column of air is set in motion which drives the machines. In detail, this works in the following manner: The waves spill into a hollow container which is open to the sea. This compresses and calms the air column in a so-called collector in a similar way to how an air pump works. The power plant "breathes" in and out. The pressure difference is then turned into rotary energy in a so-called Wells turbine (named after its inventor). This is in turn passed to a generator where electricity is produced. This means that the turbine has the air periodically flow through it from both sides, depending on whether the device is "breathing" in or out. Because of the special rotor geometry, there is no need to either periodically change the blade angles or the direction of rotation. If you consider the fact that an average of some 3 million waves break on to the coast every year, it is clear that only this simple turbine design can offer maximum reliability.

The Pelamis is an offshore wave energy converter that uses the motion of waves to generate electricity.

The machine operates in water depths greater than 50m and is typically installed 2-10km from the coast. The machine is rated at 750kW with a target capacity factor of 25-40 per cent, depending on the conditions at the chosen project site. On average one machine will provide sufficient power to meet the annual electricity demand of approximately 500 homes.

The Pelamis machine is made up of five tube sections linked by universal joints which allow flexing in two directions. The machine floats semi-submerged on the surface of the water and inherently faces into the direction of the waves. As waves pass down the length of the machine and the sections bend in the water, the movement is converted into electricity via hydraulic power take-off systems housed inside each joint of the machine tubes, and power is transmitted to shore using standard subsea cables and equipment.

At a wave power station, the waves arriving cause the water in the chamber to rise and fall, which means that air is forced in and out of the hole in the top of the chamber. We place a turbine in this hole, which is turned by the air rushing in and out. The turbine turns a generator. A problem with this design is that the rushing air can be very noisy, unless a silencer is fitted to the turbine. The noise is not a huge problem anyway, as the waves make quite a bit of noise themselves.

A company called Pelamis Wave Power are developing a method of offshore wave energy collection, using a floating tube called "Pelamis"

Since 1998, the Pelamis development programme has covered all aspects of the design from the fundamental concept refinement through to accelerated cycle testing of individual components for reliability.

During the first phase of Pelamis development prior to full-scale operations in 2004, extensive numerical modelling and analysis and a range of technology demonstration models at different scales were used to understand survival characteristics in extreme waves and verify the accuracy of our simulations

Waves are generated by low pressure weather systems sometimes thousands of miles from where they will break on the shore. Waves are born from high winds pushing the surface of the ocean

Waves are caused by the action of winds on the sea. Waves can be many metres in height and contain a great deal of energy. This energy can be harnessed to drive turbines that generate electricity.

Wave energy collectors are of two main types. The first type directs waves into man-made channels, where the water passes through a turbine that generates electricity. The second type uses the up and down movement of a wave to push air

Wave energy can be harnessed in coastal areas, close to the shore. There has been one such device working on the island of Islay in Scotland since the early 1990s, producing 75kW of electricity.

Wave energy is about using the energy of ocean waves for producing electrical current. It is a renewable energy resource and often confused with Tidal Power.

Wave energy is considered a form of hydropower, although it is the wind blowing over the surface of the ocean causing waves. So in many ways, wave energy is also wind energy - with all the pros and cons.

In contrast to tidal power, ocean wave energy plants do not make use of the energy difference between high tide and low tide, but generating energy from continuous wave motion. So, wave energy generation is the conversion of the forces from the motion of waves into usable energy.

Wave energy is generally considered to be the most concentrated and least variable form of renewable energy. It is the high power density of wave energy that suggests it has the capacity to become the lowest cost renewable energy source.

Wave energy is a renewable, zero emission source of power

Wave energy is as source of power that comes from the endless march of the waves as they roll into the shore then back out again. Humans harness this power along the coastal regions of the United States, Canada, Scotland, and Australia. Energy that comes from the waves in the ocean sounds like a boundless, harmless supply.

Advantages of Wave Energy 1. Renewable: The best thing about wave energy is that it will never run out. There will always be waves crashing upon the shores of nations, near the populated coastal regions. The waves flow back from the shore, but they always return. Unlike fossil fuels, which are running out, in some places in the world, just as quickly as people can discover them. Unlike ethanol, a corn product, waves are not limited by a season. They require no input from man to make their power, and they can always be counted on

Also unlike fossil fuels, creating power from waves creates no harmful byproducts such as gas, waste, and pollution. The energy from waves can be taken directly into electricity-producing machinery and used to power generators and power plants nearby. In today’s energy-powered world, a source of clean energy is hard to come by.

Wave energy technologies extract energy directly from surface waves or from pressure fluctuations below the surface. Renewable energy analysts believe there is enough energy in ocean waves to provide up to 2 terawatts of electricity. (A terawatt is equal to a trillion watts.)