Using Wave Energy
Wave Energy
Ocean waves are a powerful, consistent, and widely distributed energy resource accessible to a high percentage of the world population and thus wave energy is ideally suited for RO desalination applications. With such “free” energy, the costs to desalinate seawater can be dramatically reduced and it is feasible to bring fresh water production systems directly to the regions and communities most in need. In comparison to wind- and solar-powered desalination systems, Wave2OTM has:
Waves are generated by wind passing over the surface of the sea which transfers energy from the wind to create “vibrations” in the form of waves which can travel long distances without interruption. Thus, wind conditions thousand of miles away will yield local wave conditions several days later which greatly improves the predictability of wave resources compared to wind and solar.
To the casual observer, waves look like up-and-down “bumps” on the sea surface when, in reality, waves are made up of water particles in orbital motion that create energy mainly in “heave” and “surge” modes. If you’ve ever swum in coastal waters, you’ve likely experienced the incredible power of both forms of wave energy and understand how harnessing it could yield a multitude of benefits.
Our technology extracts energy from the waves via an “Oscillating Wave Surge Converter” (OWSC) that captures the horizontal motion (surge) of waves to generate hydraulic power. The illustration (below) shows how the “surge” component of ocean waves can transfer energy to a flap which, in turn, drives a pump that creates hydraulic power that can be utilized in many ways including for water and electricity production.
- a much smaller onshore footprint; and
- no audio or visual impact.
Waves are generated by wind passing over the surface of the sea which transfers energy from the wind to create “vibrations” in the form of waves which can travel long distances without interruption. Thus, wind conditions thousand of miles away will yield local wave conditions several days later which greatly improves the predictability of wave resources compared to wind and solar.
To the casual observer, waves look like up-and-down “bumps” on the sea surface when, in reality, waves are made up of water particles in orbital motion that create energy mainly in “heave” and “surge” modes. If you’ve ever swum in coastal waters, you’ve likely experienced the incredible power of both forms of wave energy and understand how harnessing it could yield a multitude of benefits.
Our technology extracts energy from the waves via an “Oscillating Wave Surge Converter” (OWSC) that captures the horizontal motion (surge) of waves to generate hydraulic power. The illustration (below) shows how the “surge” component of ocean waves can transfer energy to a flap which, in turn, drives a pump that creates hydraulic power that can be utilized in many ways including for water and electricity production.
NOTE: The numbers on the map shown below correspond to a measure of the number of kilowatts of wave energy per linear meter of wave front. Wave2OTM can operate effectively in wave regimes greater than 10kW/m.
