Alternative Energy Tutorials about Wave Energy

Ocean Wave Energy

ocean wave energy

Ocean wave energy devices extract and harness the clean and renewable energy resources from the oceans waves. Ocean waves are created by wind energy blowing across the sea’s surface pushing the water to create the up-down motion of the surface water before crashing as waves onto the shoreline. Ocean wave energy devices use the movement of the waves and water to generate electricity. Many different types of wave energy converters have been developed to extract this marine energy being located either on the shore, nearshore or deeper waters offshore and have names such as oscillating columns, overtoppers, attenuators, point absorbers and surge converters


Movements of Waves

ocean wave energy

The movements of waves in the oceans is energy and not the water itself which moves across the oceans surface. The water in the worlds seas and oceans is dynamic. The horizontal movement of water around the planet we call currents and waves, while the vertical rise and fall motion of the water we call tides. Its the winds blowing across the waters surface which causes the movement of waves to finally release their stored energy as they crash on the shoreline


Environmental Impact of Wave Energy

wave energy

Harnessing the renewable energy resource of the ocean waves along coastlines has huge potential. Generating clean energy from renewable sources is one of the fastest growing industries around the world. Wave energy installations and devices which use concrete foundations or tethered lines to anchor themselves to the seabed has long raised concerns about their environmental impact to both sea life and shipping. The environmental impact of wave energy devices on marine species, such as whales, seals, dolphins and migratory fish is still unknown as the technology is still under development, but as with all renewable energy installations ecologists and engineers are working together to design wave energy devices that address both the environmental concerns and conservation issues


Ocean Wave Power

wave energy

Ocean wave energy converters capture the energy contained in the oceans waves to generate electricity. There are a wide range of oceanic wave energy devices and technologies all of which use different ways to extract the energy from the movement of the waves, with each one having its own advantages and disadvantages depending on the depth of water and on the location, whether shoreline, near to the shore, or further out at sea. All wave energy technologies basically operate the same, a fixed prime mover captures the energy of the waves converting it into mechanical energy which is then converted into electrical energy before being sent to the shore to power homes.


How Wave Energy Devices Work

ocean wave energy

Wave energy devices capture the kinetic energy of the oceans waves and convert it into electricity. Harnessing the free energy generated from floating ocean devices is one of the most promising renewable energy resources around our coastal areas as the technology behind the use of wave energy devices is becoming increasingly more efficient. Wave energy is one of the fastest growing industries around the world as the range and design of wave energy devices being developed increases yearly as more companies invent different ways of extracting the energy in the vertical movement of the oceans waves using ducks, snakes, bouys and columns


Wave Energy Potential

ocean wave energy

Wave energy devices harvest the energy from the movement of the oceans waves. Electrical energy from the waves can be generated using a variety of different technologies which capture and use the free energy from the surface wave or as pressure fluctuation below the surface. Oscillating wave energy devices tetherd to the sea bed exploit the vertical up-down motion of a body in response to the waves movement. Wave energy devices such as point absorbers, bouys, attenuators, oscillating water columns and overtopping devices have all been developed to operate at different water depths, wave characteristics and locations


Wave Energy Devices

wave energy device

Wave energy devices are used to harness the potential energy produced by the oceans waves and currents with a great variety of wave energy devices and designs available to convert wave and tidal power into electrical power. Wave energy devices and technologies include wave profile devices which turn the oscillating height of the oceans surface into mechanical energy, oscillating water columns which convert the energy of the waves into air pressure and wave capture devices which convert the energy of the movement of the waves into potential energy.


Wave Energy

wave energy

Wave Energy is another type of ocean based renewable energy resource which uses the power of the waves to generate electricity. Unlike tidal energy which uses the ebb and flow of the tides, wave energy uses the vertical up and down movement of the surface water converting the movement of the oceans waves into electrical energy. This is done by placing equipment on the surface of the ocean and seas to capture the kinetic energy produced by the wave movement and convert this mechanical energy into electrical power.