Local fishing zones could be affected or the plants could lead to more coastal corrosion. Environmental effectsīecause wave energy is still in its infancy, mostly in research, there is no measure of the environmental effects of large-scale power stations on the shore.īuilding plants or electrical wires directly on the beach might prove challenging because they would be unsightly and can cause damage to marine life and the surrounding ecosystems. Generally, waves are more active in the winter because of the increased wind, which is due to colder temperatures. It should be noted that the amount of energy that is being transported through waves does vary every year, and from season to season. This makes electricity generation from wave energy a more reliable energy source compared to wind power, since wind is not constantly blowing. Waves are hardly interrupted and almost always in motion. There is also a lot of potential because many countries have access to an ocean that can help power their electric grids. The ocean provides a lot of potential for energy production because it is constantly moving and generating energy. The amount of kinetic energy that is exerted in a wave is huge - that energy then gets captured by wave energy converters to produce electricity.įor example, an average 4-foot, 10-second wave can put out 35,000 horsepower per mile of coast. Because wind will always exist, waves will always be available at the surface of the water to generate electricity, making this a renewable source. Wind moves heat energy from one part of the planet to another, which causes waves to form. Waves are created by wind, and wind is caused by uneven heat on the planet's surface driven mostly by the sun warming different locations at different rates. Like all alternative energy sources, wave power is renewable. If we can get the technology right, tidal power can be a huge part of the green energy mix, complementing solar power, wind turbines, geothermal, and hydropower. Turbines generate electricity through the power of waves, making them a completely pollution-free, renewable energy source. Inherently, wave energy does not emit greenhouse gasses when generated, like fossil fuels do. There are only very small ones, which are mostly being used for research on how to best capture wave energy. However, currently there aren’t any large-scale wave energy plants in use. Wave energy has huge potential but it is very challenging to harness because of the nature of seawater - it is corrosive and its movements change often. In fact, the only thing that wave energy and hydropower share is the fact that they are both powered by the forces of water. Hydropower, on the other hand, uses the flow of moving water to directly push a turbine that is connected to a generator and creates electricity. This electricity is then sent to the grid via power lines. The movement of the WECs is what generates electricity. The water then rushes up to a generator equipped with turbines, or wave energy converters (WEC), that spin when moving water hits them. The buoys at the bottom right serve as a water intake system. Waves are incredibly powerful and wave energy plants harness this power by utilizing the steps within the infographic below. Wave energy produces electricity using naturally occurring forces of water within the ocean. The turbines then spin from the force of water and generate electricity. The easiest way to think about it is this: a wave’s force powers underwater turbines that are attached to a buoy.
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