Waves are formed due to different reasons, but the major reason is wind. The surface exerts a gravitational force on the bottom layers when the wind blows on the surface. The formation of waves with lots of energy takes place every second. This energy is used for power generation. Do you know what is wave energy? Well, along with other important factors, you will get to know about the advantages of wave energy also.
What is Wave Energy? Is Wave Energy Renewable?
The form of energy that is harnessed from the motion of waves is known as wave energy. This type of energy is produced through different methods. Wave power or wave energy includes the capture and transport of energy received from the surface oceanic waves. Coastal regions have wave farms that convert wave energy in large amounts.
Yes, wave energy is renewable as it is a natural source of power generation. Waves are generated through the motion of the earth and moon, which in turn generates the required kinetic energy. It is an eco-friendly option for energy generation.
What are the Advantages Of Wave Energy?
Now that you know what is wave energy and is wave energy renewable, you can start learning about wave energy’s advantages. The energy supply from wave farms is abundant and harmless. But this is not the only good factor of wave energy. Here are the advantages of wave energy.
1. Abundant and Renewable
Since power generation takes place on coasts it has become easy to supply energy to the nearest places. Coastal cities are well-populated, and people can use the energy generated from waves to the best.
It is the best part that wave energy never runs out. Waves are often crashing upon shores and flow to and fro from the shore, but the motion is constant. Also, these motions do not reduce its competency and availability at any level.
2. No Damage and Environmental Friendly
No land damage is reported from energy generation through wave energy. It is one of the safest and cleanest methods to extract energy from oceans.
Since no harmful byproducts like waste, pollution, or gas are created or released this method of energy generation can be labeled as environment friendly. It also reduces carbon footprint. Wave farms use wave energy directly through the machines that convert it for further use.
3. Multiple ways and Offshore Harnessing
Wave power is harnessed offshore, and this reduces the problem of power plants being too close to land. Power plants placed offshore derive benefits from the increased potential of waves. With offshore plants, there is a considerable decrease in adverse environmental effects.
There are a number of ways to harness oceanic wave energy. Currently, methods like installed power plants with hydro turbines, and naval vessels equipped with massive structures that are laid into the sea, along with a couple of other methods are used to gather the energy from waves.
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4. Predictability and Production
Wave energy is easily predictable in comparison to other energy sources. This prediction is used to calculate the amount of energy that can be produced. It is consistent and far better than other sources which are dependent on the sun or wind for energy generation.
The energy produced from wave farms is huge because along the shore plants generate 30 kilowatts to 40 kilowatts of energy per meter of a wave. Power density increases to about 100 kilowatts as you go deeper into the ocean. This is another of the advantages of wave energy.
5. Reliable and Reduced Dependency
Waves are always in motion even when the ocean is calm, there is the slight movement of waves. Energy production and transportation vary from season to season. Even with ebbs and tides, average wave motion is maintained, resulting in continuous energy generation. This makes wave energy the most reliable resource.
Maximum extraction of energy from wave farms can reduce dependency on foreign companies for fossil fuels. With more and more wave farms people will get green job opportunities and there is a possibility to curb air pollution to a large extent.
What are the Disadvantages of Wave Energy?
Being the best and most reliable resource does not make it the one without drawbacks. Wave energy also has different disadvantages as mentioned below.
1. Costs and Performance
With all the advantages on one side, a major downside of wave energy is the enormous cost of installation and production. The technology used in this case is uncertain, and its lifespan cannot be determined. The cost of repairing it is also huge.
During rough weather, there is a significant drop in the performance of wave power. With the disturbance in weather, energy production may decrease.
2. Disturbances
Private and commercial vehicles are disturbed by the wave power plants. To make as much use of it as possible plants are placed near coastlines. These plants disturb and disrupt ships, cargo, cruise ships, recreational vehicles, and beachgoers.
3. Effects and Pollution
Even if wave energy is a clean energy source, but still, it may be harmful to creatures near it. Big machines are placed in the depths of oceans to gather energy from the waves. These machines disturb the seafloor and change the habitat of near-shore creatures like starfish and crabs. Also, there is a possibility of spilling toxic chemicals from the wave energy platforms that can pollute water.
With lots of advantages of wave energy, it has some considerable disadvantages too. People living close to coastal areas may find wave energy generators disturbing. Also, the generators produce noise pollution, but the noise is covered by the sound of the waves. However, this noise is disturbing to marine animals.
4. Suitability
Wave energy is location-based, which makes it suitable only for coastal cities. Due to this wave energy is not a viable source of energy for everyone. Landlocked nations and cities cannot benefit from wave energy which is why it cannot be considered a clean energy resource for all.
5. Wavelength
The determining factor of wave power is the wavelength which includes wave speed wavelength and water density wavelength. To generate a significant amount of wave power, a constant flow of powerful waves is required.
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How is Wave Energy Produced? How Does Wave Energy Work?
The working of wave energy is dependent on weather, wind, tides, and the lunar cycle. Wave Energy Converter (WEC) is like a power station device that converts the energy from the wave hitting the shore. It is an enclosed chamber with an opening under the sea.
Step 1: Through the opening in the chamber of the Wave Energy Converter, strong sea waves flow into the chamber and back into the sea or ocean. The water level in the chamber rises and falls with a wave rhythm.
Step 2: The rhythmic rise and fall of the water force the air backward via turbines that are joined to an upper opening in the chamber.
Step 3: Turbines are powered by this compressed and decompressed air. The back-and-forth airflow propels the turbine in the same direction.
Step 4: The propelling turbines turn the shaft connected to the generator. Thus, electricity is generated by a generator which is then transported to electrical grids. This electricity is distributed over distribution lines that are connected to residential, industrial, and commercial areas.
The Technology Used in the Working of Wave Energy is as follows:
There are a lot of advantages of wave energy and this type of energy also uses multiple technologies to function. The main 5 types of technologies used in wave energy are Absorbers, attenuators, oscillation water columns, overtopping, and inverted-pendulum devices.
1. Absorbers: Buoy is used to extracting energy from the rise and fall of waves. A rotary or linear generator converts the extracted energy into electrical energy.
2. Attenuators: These are placed perpendicularly to the wavelength thus; they flex continuously where segments are connected. Segments are connected to hydraulic pumps for energy conversion.
3. Oscillation Water Columns (OWC): It is an enclosed structure that is partially submerged. The part above the water is filled with air. Incoming waves are funneled toward the bottom structure. The process is repeated in which waves come and go, making the water inside the structure rise and fall. This causes the air in the upper structure to pressurize and depressurize. The pressure thus developed pushes and pulls air through an air turbine connected to the top of the structure for energy conversion.
4. Overtopping: This system is similar to the conventional hydropower dam. Overtopping has a wave lift over a barrier which fills the reservoir with water. A hydro turbine then drains the water, resulting in energy conversion.
5. Oscillating wave surge converter: It extracts energy from wave surges and the movement of water particles within them. A pendulum is mounted on a pivoted joint in response to the movement of waves, which in turn oscillates the arm.
6. Inverted-Pendulum: These devices use wave energy to move a hinged paddle back and forth. The paddle motion drives a hydraulic pump that drives electrical generators.
7. Submerged Pressure differential: These devices are located near the shore and attached to the seabed. With wave motion, the sea level rises and falls above the device with a pressure differential in the device. This alternating pressure pumps fluid through a system that generates electricity. Understanding the technologies is a plus after learning about the advantages of wave energy.
8. Bulge wave: This technology consists of a rubber tube filled with water, fastened to the seabed, and headed into the waves. Water enters the tube and waves cause pressure variations along the tube length, thus creating a bulge. This bulge travels through the tube and gathers energy which turns the standard low-head turbine at the bow. At this point, water returns back into the sea.
9. Rotating mass: Energy is captured by two wave motions and by the movement of the devices heaving and swaying in the waves. Either an eccentric weight or a gyroscope-causing precession is generated by the motion. Both movements are attached to the generators for electricity generation.
What is the Importance of Wave Energy?
The importance of wave energy lies in the possibility of it being the solution to the problem of climate change. Through this, it can considerably bring economic and social development by providing a sustainable energy supply and reducing the negative impacts of energy provision on the environment and humans. Wave energy can reach a level of sustainable development and meet industrial and local energy requirements.
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What are Different Types of Wave Energy?
Sea waves are categorized on the basis of their behavior and formation with the most common classification being wave period.
1. Breaking Waves: Such waves are formed when waves collapse on themselves. Breaking of water can happen anywhere on the seawater surface.
- Spilling Waves: They are formed by a gentle inclination of the ocean floor and are also known as mushy waves. With a gently sloping shoreline, the energy of waves is expelled, and crests slowly spill, forming mild waves.
- Plunging Waves: With a rugged or steeply inclined ocean floor wave, crusts curl and an air pocket is trapped underneath it. Wave is somewhat exploded, and wave energy is dissipated over a shorter distance. This is common during offshore winds.
- Surging Waves: Among the advantages of wave energy, types of waves play an important role as they have different amounts of energy. Huge swells with steep profiles reach the shore and form surging waves. These waves have no crests and travel at high speeds. These waves do not break but have dangerous backwash effects.
- Collapsing Waves: Its bottom profile is vertically aligned and collapses with its crest breaking down completely. This turns it into white water. Such waves are a blend of surging and plunging waves.
2. Capillary Waves: These waves resemble the structure of ripples. Capillarity is the binding force holding together the water molecules on the surface of the ocean. Light breeze and calm winds blowing at low speeds of about 3–4 meters per second with a reference height of 10 meters from the water surface from the capillary waves.
3. Deep Water Waves: These waves generate at a specific ocean depth where there is no shoreline to provide resistance to their motion. The depth of water at such places is more than half of the wavelength of the wave and wave speed is its functioning unit. Deep water waves are long and travel in straight lines with enough energy to cover greater distances. You also know them as stokesian waves or short waves.
4. Inshore Waves: The length of waves is less than the water depth, which decreases its velocity. This increase and decrease break the wave, and they drain the beach as a backwash.
5. Internal Waves: They are formed in the internal layers of the ocean and are hardly noticeable on the surface. However, they are among the largest oceanic waves that are formed when the balance between warm, cold, and salty water is disturbed due to external forces like tidal movements. Internal waves can travel longer distances and can attain lofty heights when they hit the landmass.
6. Kelvin Waves: These large-scale waves are formed due to a lack of wind in the Pacific Ocean. Long before the advantages of wave energy were discovered, Lord Kelvin (Sir William Thompson) discovered Kelvin waves, which are a special type of gravity wave that is influenced by the rotation of the earth. Kelvin waves get trapped at the Equator or along the lateral vertical boundaries like mountain ranges or coastlines. Equatorial and coastal waves are two types, and both are non-dispersive in nature.
7. Progressive Waves: In these waves the ratio of instantaneous value at one point to any other point is constant. The progressive wave is of three types namely, orbital, longitudinal, and transverse waves.
8. Refracted Waves: These waves travel in shallow waters as they approach the shore. The power of the waves is decreased due to their shallowness, which results in a curve of the wave. Bays and headlands usually witness refracted waves.
9. Seiche Waves: You can pronounce it as saysh waves are the standing waves that are formed in a partially confined or a completely confined water body. Seiche waves are formed due to rapid changes in atmospheric pressure. It can also be formed when strong wind forces water to pile up in one part of the water body. These waves have longer oscillation periods.
10. Shallow Water Waves: Such waves travel in water where the depth is less than 1/20th of the wavelength of the wave. Shallow water waves travel faster and are also known as long waves or Lagrangian waves.
- Tidal Waves: Astronomical forces like the gravitational forces of the sun and moon on ocean water result in the formation of tidal waves. The traversing of a wave takes place at a 12-hour interval.
- Tsunamis: These high waves are 80% of the time result of large-scale underwater earthquakes. The rest 20% is caused by meteorite impacts, volcanic eruptions, or underwater landslides. These waves travel at high velocities and are extremely devastating and dangerous.
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How Efficient is Wave Energy?
Waves have the highest energy density in comparison to other sources like solar, biomass, wind, and geothermal. Researchers at the University of Plymouth, in Plymouth, England claim that waves have the greatest potential and can be an important contributor to the energy mix resilience of the world. The advantages of wave energy are the main determinants of the efficiency of wave energy.
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Is there any Future of Wave Energy?
This form of renewable energy has been put to use recently and there are fewer areas with wave farms. Australia, Portugal, the United States, and the United Kingdom are some main areas with wave farms. The world is facing a power crisis with lower production and supply of fuels. Wave energy is reliable and renewable. It is capable of harboring more energy in comparison to other renewable resources. Thus, movement and progress in the right direction mean that wave energy has a bright future.
Well, the advantages of wave energy seem similar to other renewable sources of energy. But unlike others, it is more reliable. The future of wave energy is bright because it is highly efficient. Also, it is least affected by external factors and can generate large amounts of energy quickly and efficiently.
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