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The wave or wave energy comes from the waves. It is produced by taking advantage of its movement, which is a sustainable energy with great potential, since there are waves in all the seas and coasts of the planet. In fact, there are currently numerous projects that are taking advantage of it.
As its name indicates (undi means "waves" in Greek, and "motor" movement), it is an energy generated by the movement of the waves, and this is used thanks to different technologies. If you want to know more details about what is wave energy You are in the right place, because then at Ecologista Verde we will tell you all the details you need to know.
Wave energy
Indeed, since the swell It is a consequence of the friction of the air on the surface of the sea, although this is very irregular, its use for obtaining energy well worth it, no doubt.
Precisely for this reason, different machines have been created, such as the installation of turbines on the seabed attached to buoys, on the other hand the most common.
The buoys transmit the movement of the waves to the turbines, generating electricity. Basically, the waves access an air chamber, raising the water level by compressing the air inside that, finally, will be expelled through an upper opening, driving a turbine or, what is the same, electrical energy is produced.
Another system, known as robotic "sea snakes" -Anaconda (a Checkmate Seaenergy project) or Pelamis- have been named after their shape. It consists of the installation of floating machines that obtain energy from the movement of their different articulated parts.
Although there are facilities that work successfully, some are in the experimental phase and, both these and the commercial ones, are still scarce. As it happens with other types of sea energies (osmotic power, tidal wave, energy of currents or tidal), also wave energy is still under study and improvement. Above all, considering the enormous source of clean and renewable energy that the sea can offer us, an equally inexhaustible resource.
Seawater energy
The Seawater energy It is a type of marine energy that is often confused with wave energy. To distinguish them, it is important to be clear about their essential differences. Yes, on the one hand, wave energy refers exclusively to the energy use from the wave movement, on the other hand, tidal energy takes advantage of the movement of the tides, that is to say, the rise and fall of the water produced by the gravitation of the sun and the moon.
Therefore, it is an energy use of different marine energies, which requires different technologies. Although tides and waves are closely linked, so are others such as currents, whose use gives rise to another type of energy from the sea.
If the wave energy is irregular, the tidal energy also has its peculiarities, and it is only worth installing a tidal power station where the high and low seas have a sufficient difference, more than five meters high. Otherwise, it will not be profitable.
On the other hand, a project for a tidal power station can be carried out in a cove, river, estuary or bay, for example, and is based on the storage of water within a reservoir, which implies building a dike with gates. The objective will be to allow the entry of water to power the turbines.
World's first commercial plant
The project of Carnegie Wave Energy in Perth, Western Australia, has just started its commercial phase, after a decade of work. Finally, with a multi-million dollar investment, it will harness the power of the waves on Perth's turbulent coastline, using buoy-based technology.
With its inauguration, the first commercial wave power plant of this type in the world. It is also the first time that electricity has been generated from waves in the country.
The plant passed the tests carried out in 2014 and currently operates with five wave power generation units. The plant will supply electricity to the Australian Department of Defense and Australia's largest naval base, HMAS Stirling, located on Garden Island.
If you want to read more articles similar to What is wave energy?, we recommend that you enter our category of Renewable Energies.
