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| Pelamis wave energy converter | wave dragon |
Wave Energy
Waves are formed by the action of the wind on the surface of expanses of water. Energy is transferred to the ocean by the wind when it creates these surface waves. Our global wind patterns are the result of solar energy heating our atmosphere therefore wave energy is a sustainable energy resource because it is a form of solar energy!
The amount of energy in the waves depends upon factors such as the wind speed, the length of time that the wind is blowing and the distance the wind is blowing.
The wave energy resource around the world is estimated as 2 TW, which is an annual available energy resource of 17,500 TWh (Thorpe, 1999). This is a large resource that is available for us to use.
Waves lose energy when the water depth is less than 100 metres but the layout of the ocean floor can result in focusing the energy within the water. Wave energy is free but it must be controlled in some way to do useful work which would normally be by operating some device that generates electricity.
There are two basic types of systems designed to harvest wave energy, these are shoreline devices and offshore devices, the names speak for themselves.
Shoreline devices include the TAPCHAN wave energy converter, the LIMPET oscillating water column and the shoreline Pendulor wave energy converter.
Offshore devices include the Anaconda Wave Energy Converter, the Wave Dragon, the oscillating water column (OWC) and the Oyster wave energy converter.
- Pelamis - Source: Wikipedia - Author: P123 - image in public domain
- Wave Dragon - Source: Wikipedia - User: Erik_Friis-Madsen Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported
Click here for videos and resources on wave energy
References
Thorpe, 1999 - A Brief Review of Wave Energy, ETSU report R122
(WEA) - www.worldenergy.org
www.isope.org - Pendulor