Experts have been attempting to harness the power of the wave since the late 19th century. As the wind passes over the ocean, it produces waves. There is a direct correlation between the power of the wind and the power of the wave.
Wave energy is produced when electricity generators are placed on the surface of the ocean. The energy provided is most often used in desalination plants, power plants and water pumps. Energy output is determined by wave height, wave speed, wavelength, and water density. To date there are only a handful of experimental wave generator plants in operation around the world.
The Aguadora Wave Park (AWP) in Portugal is the worlds first commercial wave farm. The AWP produces roughly 2.25 Mega-Watts of power (enough for 1500 homes) and cost just over 8.5 million euros to deploy (though by 2009 costs are expected to exceed 70 million euros).
Construction and Maintenance
Most turbines require a constant, powerful flow which works in opposition to the very nature of waves, as waves are inconsistent in both direction and power. Powerful storms and the corrosive power of salt water are also adversarial to the construction of a reliable energy collection device. Accounting for the aforementioned problems, a device and its maintenance may become too expensive to be a reliable alternative to coal, oil, biodiesel or even solar power.
Harnessing the Waves
Wave energy collection is, however, remarkably passive. Unlike oil which requires a distillation process before energy can be used, wave energy is automatically converted by turbines. Wave energy is also environmentally friendly, as it creates no atmospheric pollution and has a small carbon footprint (non-existent if not for the manufacture of its devices). More-so, it allows us to utilize a space which has, for most of history, been underutilized: the ocean.
The flowing waters in the rivers and tidal waves can be a good source of alternative energy. With 70% of the earth’s surface covered with water, a great amount of energy can be produced by placing turbines at strategic locations under strong currents. This method of generating electric power is called hydrokinetic power generation.
The Future of Wave Power
According to Trey Taylor Co founder & president of Verdant Power, 4 commercial projects are planned for the next 3-5 years which should have the capacity to produce more than 200 MW when operating in waterways. As great minds continue to tackle the problems of renewable energy, we may see major advancements making wave energy more feasible. Groups such as OREC (Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition), continue to drum up support for projects, but it seems policy makers are a bit uncertain of wave energy’s true benefits.
For now we should focus on implementing wind power and solar power strategies to replace our dependence on oil. It may seem like a panacea on paper, but the reality exposes the truth, wave power is just not ready for wide-scale commercial use yet.
