To save natural resources, a new strategy came through which you will be able to generate a good amount of energy. This strategy is known as wave energy. Now you might be thinking that what is what is wave energy?
Basically, when the wind blows across the sea’s surface, it turns into energy. It is quite an energetic power source. The output energy generated by the waves is measured by wave height, speed, density, and wavelength.
What is Wave Energy?
Wave energy also known as wave power is a type of renewable energy that is generated using the motions of the waves in the sea or oceans.
Wave energy is the amount of energy generated by powerful waves over the sea surface. The strength of the waves transfers into energy. This source is like any other source that produces a good amount of energy. The energy generated by waves is powerful.
It can be generated through different methods to harness wave energy from the ocean surface. One commonly used method is electricity generators that you can place on the ocean surface. Plus, it is a renewable energy resource.
Who invented wave energy?
The first patent was filed by Girard and his son back in 1799 on how you can generate energy from ocean waves. Girard wrote a novel, about what is wave energy, how it works but it was an idea about energy power from the sea. After that, he and his son patented a machine designed to capture energy from the ocean waves.
Both father and son figured out how they could capture the energy and consume it run sawmills, run pumps and other electronic devices.
Further work was done on this patent. In 1910, a device was constructed by Bochaux-Praceique because he wanted to have light in his house at Royan near Bordeaux in France. It was a wave power device. He also educated people about what is wave energy.
How Does Wave Energy Work?
Wave energy is produced by the waves which are caused by the strong motion of wind. The friction between the surface water and wind create strong huge waves and this continuous distribution is how does wave energy work.
The wind produce energy by the ups and down motion of powerful waves over the ocean surface. The gushing winds make the waves powerful and higher.
Waves travelling over the ocean surface get captured by high-tech devices. To harness waves and generate energy, you can place electricity generators on the ocean surface.
They are going to catch the waves and their power. Eventually, it gets transformed into energy. With the heavy flow of waves, they generate power.
The high-tech devices capture the natural strengthened and powerful movements of the ocean currents. The more powerful the waves are, the more amount of energy gets generated out of them.
Wave energy is a renewable resource for generated energy. You will need a high-tech device like energy generated to produce energy from this natural resource. This method was introduced centuries before, but with the advent of technology, it has become possible to generate a powerful and good amount of energy with the help of high-tech electronic devices without affecting any natural resources.
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Wave energy advantages and disadvantages
Wave energy provides us with a harmless and boundless source of power. However, there are certain wave energy advantages and disadvantages that you need to know.
Wave energy advantages to know about
- It is a natural resource for generating clean energy and in abundant.
- As compared to power generated by using green energy that pollutes the environment, wave energy is produced without causing any harm to the environment.
- Less dependency on fossil fuels for generating energy.
- Waves over the ocean surface can be forecast, so it is a consistent source of energy.
- No damage gets done to the aquatic life while generating power from the waves.
- You can easily install devices for harnessing waves at the right site.
- Wave energy protects the shoreline from coastal corrosion situations.
- The amount of kinetic energy in the waves will be enormous; after capturing that energy, it can be transformed into electricity. The waves will constantly be moving, and they can generate power.
- Energy generated by fossil fuels causes damage to the land because they will leave large holes while excluding energy. On the contrary, wave energy is not going to cause any damage to the ground.
Wave energy disadvantages to know about
- Suitable sites are required for planting electronic devices like energy generators, or they won’t work correctly.
- During calm periods when the waves come in intervals, no amount of energy gets generated.
- Devices used to generate energy from waves might interrupt the navigation system around the ocean.
- The maintenance cost of energy generators and other energy sources from waves costs you a fortune.
- Setting up a wave energy project will not be a cheap investment. High capital would be needed to start a wave energy project, even on a tiny scale. It is an expensive method of generating energy.
- One of the most significant drawbacks of wave energy is that it is tough to scale
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Where is Wave Energy Being Developed?
The area for generation of wave energy is first determined. The best location for production of wave power is latitudes N and S 40 – 60 degrees on eastern shores. Wave energy is generated by floating buoys and turbines that fall and rise with the swell of waves.
With the help of electronic devices, wind speed and wavelengths also get measured. Wave power is generated from those wavelengths. The wavelengths keep changing, and the pressure on the ocean floor and the energy generation depend on this factor.
How does wave energy affect the environment?
Wave energy is a renewable energy source and doesn’t pollute our environment. All other resources utilized to produce a good amount of energy somehow pollute our environment.
This is not the case with wave energy. It is a non-polluting way of generating energy. No amount of greenhouse gases is produced while generating wave energy. When fossil fuels get burned to generate electricity, they emit pollutants and gases like nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide. Still, when it comes to wave energy, no amount of pollutant gases is being produced.
The marine species might have to think of migration because of the wave-energy equipment to avoid interaction. Plus, the wave-energy equipment might affect the orientation and feeding of aqua species, especially rays, sturgeon, sharks, crab, and salmon. So, these special might have to migrate.
Related article: Why We Should Conserve Energy
Is wave energy renewable or nonrenewable?
Understanding of what is wave energy helps to determine that it is a renewable source of energy. The waves generate it, so no other factor is needed in developing energy. The natural waves of the abundant oceans are transformed into energy using high-tech devices. They don’t produce harmful greenhouse gases, which is a reliable source for generating energy.
Wave energy minimizes our dependency on fossil fuels that affect our environment in the worse way possible. Those fossil fuel resources are not renewable but wave energy is totally a renewable energy resource.
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There are various hidden factors that influence the production of wave energy. The amount of wave energy produced depends on duration, speed and fetch of wind. Therefore, if one of these factors is missing there will be not enough energy produced.
Therefore, it cannot be your only source of generating energy. Not all the time. The tides and waves will be high, consistent, and mighty for power generation.
You will have to manage another way of generating energy as well. Wave energy can be your extra energy source but not the sole source. Sometimes the ocean gets calm, and your electronic generators won’t be able to catch waves and generate energy.
What does wave energy depend on?
The wave energy depends on different factors. The amount of energy the waves will generate depends on the wavelength, heights and distance the wave breaks. With a higher amplitude of waves, a more robust and larger amount of energy gets produced compared to ways with low amplitude. Whenever the waves are higher and more powerful, it helps in generating a large amount of energy.
Is wave energy environmentally friendly?
Compared to other energy sources, wave energy is an environmentally friendly method of fulfilling the demands of energy or electricity. They don’t cause any harm to the environment at all. They might disturb the lives of a few aquatic species, but it is an environmentally friendly method of generating energy.
It doesn’t emit harmful greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide or nitro oxides, which make the environment miserable for everyone.
Is wave energy Our Future?
Wave energy doesn’t emit harmful greenhouse gases, which is a plus factor for generating a good amount of energy from this resource. It can’t be the only resource for generating energy because it is not a reliable one.
Sometimes the waves are high, which helps develop power, but sometimes the ocean gets calm, and no amount of energy will be generated. So, it can’t be the only resource for generating energy in the future.
What is the frequency of a wave?
The definition of frequency of a wave is the number of waves passes through a fixed place in a given time. Let’s suppose the wave passes through a fixed point about every 1/2 second, meaning the wave’s frequency is 2 per second. If the wave takes 1/100, the frequency is 100 per hour.
The waves’ frequency is determined by the electronic machines that generate energy through waves because the generation of power through waves depends on its frequency.
How much power is in a wave?
Compared to solar or wind, waves over the sea or ocean surface have far more power. With per meter wave, up to 24-70 kW of energy gets generated. Suppose the tide is near the shore at a peak, then about 45-50 kW if energy is going to develop per meter wave. The world’s total wave resource is approximately two terawatts of power.
Final Words
Understanding what is wave energy and how it works has influenced our lives in various positive ways. Knowing different sources of producing energy has reduced our dependence on the energy generated with fossil fuels. Moreover, energy produced from renewable natural resources is not only beneficial for the environment but also affordable.
Therefore, it is our responsibility to use such sources of energy and protect our planet.
