Wave Generators- Power From The Sea

Anyone who has played in the ocean surf orloss of energy.
experienced the current of a river, felt the tug ofThe World Energy Council estimates that the energy
outgoing or incoming surf, recognizes that there isproduced by the power of the earths ocean waves
energy contained in moving bodies of water.would produce two times the amount of electricity
Harnessing that energy to create electricity has beenthat is currently created by all other sources of
in third position, behind solar and wind, as a source ofelectrical production, including coal and natural gas.
alternative energy.This would be done without the hazardous emissions
But now, advances in technology are changing thatgenerated by coal and natural gas fired plants. For a
situation. Commercially viable prototypes and activemore complete list of pollutants and the effects of
production models operating in wave farms aremining for coal see Energy Loft
currently producing electricity successfully. The WorldWave Power- The technology
Energy Council has described wave energy as aA number of companies have entered the wave
concentrated form of solar energy. With threepower generation field. Some are funded by private
quarters of the earth covered in water, wave powerinfusion and businesses themselves. Others are
is an inexhaustible source of clean energy.supplemented by grants or incentives from
Wave power- a brief historygovernmental entities. The countries of Portugal,
Wave Power has been used as early in humanScotland, Spain and Australia are investing heavily in
history as 1100 AD in Egypt and, what is now, Francethis technology.
and Russia. Wave power during this period was usedOcean Powered Technology (OPT) is headquartered
to mill grain.in Pennington New Jersey. OPTs PowerBouy has
One of the earliest known patents was registered tobeen deployed commercially in six locations: Atlantic
a Frenchman named Girard in Paris and was datedCity, NJ, Oahu, Hawaii, Santona, Spain, Hayle, England,
1799. Interest waned, as it did for wind, during theReedsport, Oregon and Cross Bay ,Oregon.
Industrial Age when fossil fuel became cheap, easyIn Oahu, OPT is working with the US Navy and
to find and more efficient to use.Marines at the Marine base supplying electricity from
In 1909, the then California Wave Power Companythe offshore PowerBouy array.
created electricity that was used to provideAs you can see by the photographs, the bulk of the
electricity to the wharves in California.PowerBouy is located under the surface of the
Yoshio Masuda, in 1940, used wave power to lightocean and, with its design; it can be used to mount
navigation lights.navigation signals. Communication devices and
Interest in wave power strengthened in 1973, whenmonitoring equipment can also be mounted on the
the Arab nations invoked an embargo on the exportbuoy. They have designed their trademarked Talk on
of oil.Water that allows boaters to use cell phones
Universities around the world embarked on researchoffshore, a great benefit for boaters if an
to harness the power of the wave at such institutesemergency arises.
as MIT and the US Naval Academy in this country.Voith Hydro Wavegen Limited is headquartered in
As a side note, the US Navy is currently heavilyGermany with offices and manufacturing facilities in
involved in the use of green sources of energy and isInverness, Scotland on the North Sea. In Islay,
pushing away from a dependence on foreign oilScotland, Voith Hydro has a tide turbine generator
supplies. In other countries, those involved in wavebuilt on the shoreline that looks like a concrete
power technology were the University of Edinburghbunker.
and Norwegian University of Science and Technology.Their offshore tidal current turbine looks like a wind
After the oil began to flow again, research slowed.turbine, but this one is underwater, as can be seen
Leading the way in research today is the Universityon this video produced by Voith Hydro. The blades
of Oregon, which has partnered on severalare approximately 26 feet in diameter and seven
installations along the Oregon coast.stories high.
Now with increases in fossil fuel costs and concernPelamis Wave Power Ltd.is headquartered in
about the effects on the environment of globalEdinburgh Scotland. Their Pelamis Wave Energy
climate change, advances in wave power technologyConverter has the appearance of a segmented
to create energy are full steam ahead.snake that is partially submerged when deployed. The
Waves- how are they formedjoints incorporate hydraulic rams which pump the
As the sun heats the surface of the earth it createshigh-pressure fluid through motors when the wave
uneven heating, which, in conjunction with the earthspasses along the unit.
rotation, creates wind. Waves are formed by windPelamis units are used at the first commercial wave
passing over the surface of water. As energy isfarm at Agucadoura, Portugal and a phase of the
transferred to the water it forms ripples, then, asproject is planned for the near future
the force of the wind continues to release energy onThere are undoubtedly numerous other companies
the surface, the water forms waves. If this processand designs, but these are fine examples of the
continues over an extended length of the waterswork that is being done in the wave power
surface, ocean swells are formed. These oceangeneration field.
swells can travel great distances without a substantial