What is wave and tide energy?

Wave energy is energy that is powered by kinetic energy using the waves and tides. The energy is converted to electricity using buoys and turbines.

Its Beginning Research into wave power

started around 20 years ago he says, originating in high-population, energy-hungry places like the UK and Europe that have few natural energy sources. Progress continued in wave-like spurts and lulls until recent times when the more urgent push for renewable energy sources stoked research and development funding.

How Does It Work?• Most designs now

are experimental but some common type designs are currently

• A point absorber • Overtopping

devices • Attenuators

What are the specs?

• The average price in the U.S

Wave energy Developments• Wave energy is becoming more and more accessible! Prominent

companies in the wave energy business are• Pelamis Wave Power, a Scotland-based company • Ocean Power Technologies, a New Jersey company• Columbia Power Technologies, through a partnership with Oregon State

University, this company develops wave energy harvesting devices• Pacific Gas and Electric Company, the California utilities company that

is advancing theWaveConnect program, a pilot study to test various wave energy converter devices

• AWS Ocean Energy, a Scotland-based company that develops ocean energy technology

• Aquamarine Power, also in Scotland, this company developed a hydroelectric wave energy converter

Despite It’s Expensive Price Now

• Wave energy is generally considered to be the most concentrated and least variable form of renewable energy. It is the high power density of wave energy that suggests it has the capacity to become the lowest cost renewable energy source.

Harvesting the waves• The World Energy Council has estimated that

approximately 2 terawatts (2 million megawatts), about double current world electricity production, could be produced from the oceans via wave power. It is estimated that 1 million gigawatt hours of wave energy hits Australian shores annually and that 25% of the UK's current power usage could be supplied by harvesting its wave resource.

Annual average wave energy flux in kW per metre of wave front

How Bad Can It Be?PROS CONS

RenewableEnvironment Friendly. Abundant and Widely Available Variety of Ways To Harness Easily Predictable . Less Dependency on Foreign Oil Cost No Damage to Land

Effect on marine Ecosystem Suitable to Certain Locations Source of Disturbance for Private and Commercial VesselsWavelength Weak Performance in Rough Weather