101-solutions.org

SOLUTION CATEGORIES

KEYWORDS

ALL

Wave power

Anyone who has swum in big waves has felt their power. Through wave power we can exploit these forces in the sea to produce electricity. Because waves are continuous and because no pollution is caused when they are converted into electricity, wave power is a renewable and environmentally-friendly source of energy.                         

Just under the surface, the average wave energy is five times more concentrated than the wind energy 20 metres above the water, and up to 30 times more concentrated than the intensity of the sun’s radiation. The natural conditions are therefore good for commercial exploitation of wave power, which can become a significant addition to many coastal nations’ energy production.  

However, the development of wave power is still at an early stage, and is barely in commercial operation anywhere in the world. Nevertheless, visionary engineers see a great potential and more and more investors are considering investments in wave technologies.

Of some 20 European companies, the Pelamis Wave Farm has come the furthest. The Pelamis Project, the world’s first commercial wave-power generating plant, was launched off the Portuguese coast two years ago. The plant consists of three 140-metre long and 3.5-metre thick sausage-like pipes, each supported by four flotation chambers. When the pipes rise and fall in the waves, a kinetic energy occurs which is transferred via a pump to a turbine, which in turn generates electricity. Wave power has an enormous global potential equivalent to nearly the entire world’s electricity consumption, according to The World Offshore Renewable Energy Report 2002-2007.

 

Read More:
http://www.pelamiswave.com/
http://www.wavegen.co.uk/
http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/technology/hydro/wave-power/
http://www.ukrenewables.com/