What is wave power?

Waves are a free and sustainable energy resource created as wind blows over the ocean surface. The greater the distances involved, the higher and longer the waves will be.

Energy is released as waves reach our coasts. Wave power systems can turn this energy into electricity.

How is electricity generated from waves?

Wavegen, a British company that produces wave power systems, uses a two-part design:

1. The Collector and Oscillating Water Column (OWC)

A partially submerged shell is constructed, into which seawater is free to enter and leave. As the water enters or leaves, the level of water in the chamber rises or falls in sympathy. A column of air, contained above the water level, is alternately compressed and decompressed by this movement to generate an alternating stream of high velocity air in an exit blowhole.

Did you know?

The World Energy Council estimates that 2TW of energy could be harvested from the world’s oceans, the equivalent of twice the world’s electricity production.

In the UK alone it has been estimated that the recoverable wave energy resource exceeds total UK electricity demand.

2. Power Take Off – The Turbo Generator

The air stream is allowed to flow to and from the atmosphere via Wells turbines, which are attached to electricity generators. Wells turbines have the unique property of turning in the same direction regardless of which way the air is flowing across the turbine blades. Thus, the turbines continue turning on both the rise and fall of wave levels within the collector chamber.

Information from Wavegen (http://www.wavegen.com/tech.html)