Energetech’s wave energy technology

from ecoGizmo (202 articles)

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Energy is concentrated at each stage in the conversion process so that the original solar power levels of typically 100 W/m2 (watts per square metre) can be converted into waves with power levels of typically 10 to 50 kW per metre of wave crest length.

Within or close to the generation area, the storm waves known as “wind sea” exhibit a very irregular pattern. These waves will continue to travel in the direction of their formation even after the wind turns or dies down. In deep water waves lose energy only slowly so they can travel out of the storm areas with minimal loss of energy, progressively becoming regular, smooth waves or “swell”, which can persist at great distances (i.e. tens of thousands of kilometres) from the origin.

Therefore, coasts with exposure to the prevailing wind direction and long fetches tend to have the most energetic wave climates, i.e. the western coasts of the Americas, Europe and Australia/New Zealand and the south coast of Australia.

The global wave power potential was estimated to be 1012-1015 J (1-10 TW), which is the same order of magnitude of the world consumption of electrical energy (Isaacs and Seymour, 1973; WEC,1993).

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