Ocean Wave Energy: Converting the Ocean's Energy to Electrical Power

This report breaks down and compares key aspects of three separate ocean wave power generators: permanent-magnet tubular linear generators, hybrid air-wave turbine generators and wave tunnel generators. Each individual generator type is to be described and analyzed on topics such as a general background on design and functionality, applicable locations, costs and efficiency using research and diagrams to support explanations where necessary. Though these forms of power generation are not effective enough to serve as a substitute for fossil fuels entirely, they are capable of reducing human reliance on strictly fossil fuels and are thus a worthy subject to invest research into.

The concept of renewable resources as alternatives to their nonrenewable counterparts is a topic that is becoming more and more popular and controversial as the startling realization that those fossil fuels are indeed limited and it is only a matter of time before they are exhausted. At the rate these nonrenewable resources are currently being consumed and the scale at which we as humans rely on them, it is important that we invest research into other forms of power generation that will relieve some of the stress on fossil fuel consumption. This report discusses ocean wave power as a renewable energy sources and specifically details three types of generators that makes that conversion possible. These three generator types are: permanent-magnet tubular linear generators, hybrid air-wave turbine generators and wave tunnel generators.

One of these types of tidal generators is a permanent-magnet tubular linear generator , also known as a linear buoy generator. A linear buoy generator converts the “linear motion of waves into electrical energy” (A 2392). There ...

... middle of paper ...

...se of the limited location, high costs and lower efficiency of linear buoy generators, they could not replace fossil fuels without the availability and costs of those nonrenewable resources changing dramatically.

Sources:

(A) Prudell, Joseph, Martin Stoddard, Ean Amon, Ted K. A. Brekkan, and Annette von Jouanne. “Permanent-Magnet Tubular Linear Generator for Ocean Wave Energy

Conversion”. IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications. Vol. 46, NO. 6, Nov/ Dec

2010.

(B) Tyrberg, Simon. “Studying Buoy Motion for Wave Power” Experiments at the

Lysekil Research Site. http://www.el.angstrom.uu.se/Seminar/Simon_Lic_Kappa.pdf

(C) Arija, Sarah. “Electrical design for a wave buoy” Chalmers University of

Technology. 2011.

(D) Eriksson, Mikael. "Modeling and Experimental Verification of Direct Drive Wave Energy Conversion" Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis Uppsala. 2007.