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Getting Energy from Ocean Waves
One of the most active developers of alternative energy programs is California's PG&E, and one of their ongoing programs involve sourcing energy from ocean waves.
Getting Energy from Ocean Waves
One of the most active developers of alternative energy programs is California’s PG&E, and one of their ongoing programs involve sourcing energy from ocean waves. This is one of the top options that show a lot of potential. For this project, PG&E has signed up with Finavera Renewables, which will provide PG&E with 2 megawatts of electricity produced from what is now termed as a wave farm.
This technology can be called ocean wave energy. Ocean waves are great sources of energy mainly due to the pressure fluctuations involved in the formation of waves. For waves to be used as an energy source, all one has to do is capture the energy hidden just under the surface of the waves. The energy can be captured using wave power devices created based on various wave power technologies.
The different wave power technologies are based on whether they are used offshore, nearshore, or in far offshore areas. By definition, offshore systems are those that are immersed into deep water by about 131 feet. But currently, the focus is on nearshore and surface wave power technologies. However, these technologies also have to differ based on the waves themselves and based on the very process they use to convert the wave energy into a usable energy form such as electricity.
One of the most common wave energy devices is the terminator device, which are placed nearshore in a position perpendicular to the direction of the wave. Some offshore versions of this device have also been developed. One example of this device is the oscillating water column, which pushes water into a chamber, which is then moved by the wave in an up and down motion, creating air then pushed through an opening that sends it towards a turbine.
Another type of wave energy device is the point absorber, which is a structure that are designed to float on water and moves along with wave movement. The movement of the structure is used to fire up energy converters.
Then there are attenuators, which are long structures that float on the water in a position parallel to the waves’ direction. As the waves move the device through varying heights, the connecting segments of the device flex, and the energy is captured here then ultimately converted.
There are also overtopping wave energy devices, which are basically reservoirs that collect water from waves until the water level in the reservoir exceeds that of the ocean itself. At a certain level, the collected water is released. As the water falls back down to the ocean, it creates strong energy that is then used to power hydro turbines.
One of the biggest benefits of this technology is that wave energy is available practically anywhere since the earth is literally made up mostly of oceans, all of which supply waves from which energy can be taken. There are, however, areas that are especially rich in waves or where the waves are especially rich in power, and these include the northwestern shores of the United States, the northern coasts of Canada, the southern coasts of Africa, the western coasts of Scotland, and the waters of Australia.
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