What is wave energy?
Wave energy is a simple concept with a multitude of complex applications. At its essence, wave energy utilizes the power of ocean waves to create usable electricity. While there is no consensus on the “best” way to harness wave energy, researchers agree that this renewable resource has massive potential to change the global energy landscape.
There are currently hundreds of methods for converting wave power into energy already in use across the globe, and many more theories for recovering wave energy are in the early stages of research. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management identifies four main wave energy technologies in use today:
· Terminator devices
· Attenuators
· Point absorbers
· Overtopping devices
All four can be based offshore, and all apply similar mechanical principles to extract power from the waves – the rise and fall of waves passing through the machines drives energy to generate power.
The key difference between wave energy and other, more popular renewable sources like wind and solar, is that it is truly infinite; even when the sun sets and winds halt, waves can continue to provide energy.
While wave energy devices are far behind such more developed technologies as wind turbines and solar panels, scientists see great potential for wave energy to play a part in energy diversification in the future. In fact, wave energy is so potent that it is measured in terawatts, which is 10 million times more powerful than the megawatt (the preferred measurement for wind and solar energy).
According to the Electric Power Research Institute, wave energy’s recoverable resource along the U.S. coast is 1,170 terawatt-hours per year (TWh/yr), with 250 TWh/yr coming from the West Coast alone. Considering that the U.S. uses about 4,000 TWh of electricity per year, wave energy has the potential to account for nearly a third of the total country’s electricity demand.