Lecture 7 Wave Enegy

MEU 08209 Renewable Energy
Technologies
LECTURE 7
WAVE ENERGY
MEU 08209 Renewable Energy 1

Technologies by Eng. Nyari
Wave Energy Resources
 Waves are caused by friction
between wind and water surfaces
such as in the ocean
 Steady wave system will build up
where prevailing winds blow across
long uninterrupted surface e.g.
oceans

Factors that determine the
wave height
 Wind speed,
 The duration of time the wind has
been blowing,
 Fetch (the distance over which the
wind excites the waves)
 The depth and topography of the
seafloor (which can focus or disperse
the energy of the waves).

Wave System

 As long as the waves propagate slower
than the wind speed just above the
waves, there is an energy transfer from
the wind to the waves.
 They tend to smooth out power
fluctuations in wind
 Waves can persist for periods of 12 or
20 hours over thousands of kilometers
 Typical wave amplitude is 2 to 3 m
 Typical energy contained is 10 kJ/m2 of
surface area
 Average velocity is about 10 m/s
 Power per meter at right angles to the
wave direction is 50 kW/m
 The total power of waves breaking on
the world's coastlines is estimated at 2
to 3 million megawatts.

Conversion Technology
 Wave energy generation is a
developing technology.
 A variety of technologies have been
proposed to capture the energy from
waves.
 Some of the more promising designs
are undergoing demonstration testing
at commercial scales

 Wave technologies have been
designed to be installed in
 nearshore,
 offshore, and
 far offshore locations

 Wave power devices extract energy
directly from the surface motion of ocean
waves or from pressure fluctuations below
the surface.
 Although many wave energy devices have
been invented only a small number have
been tested and evaluated and very few of
these have been tested in ocean waves
testing is usually undertaken in a wave
tank.

There are three approaches to
capturing wave energy:
 floats or pitching devices,
 Oscillating water columns,
and
 Wave surge or focusing
devices
 Despite inventors actively making
systems to capture power from the
waves, for the last two centuries,
there is still not a wide application
of wave energy devices as power
generators

Wave Power Formula
 In deep water where the water
depth is larger than half the
wavelength, the wave energy flux
is
g 2
P 2
H moT
64
Wave Power Formula
 with P the wave energy flux per
unit of wave-crest length,
 Hm0 the significant wave height,
 T the wave period,
 ρ the water density and
 g the acceleration by gravity.

Wave Power Formula
 The above formula states that wave
power is proportional to the wave
period and to the square of the wave
height.
 When the significant wave height is
given in meters, and the wave period
in seconds, the result is the wave
power in kilowatts (kW) per meter of
wavefront length.

Example
 Consider moderate ocean swells, in
deep water, a few kilometers off a
coastline, with a wave height of 3
meters and a wave period of 8
seconds. Using the formula to solve
for power.
 Answer: there are 36 kilowatts of
power potential per meter of coastline

Environmental Considerations
Potential environmental considerations
for the development of wave energy
include the following:
 Positive or negative impacts on
marine habitat (depending on the
nature of additional submerged
surfaces, above-water platforms, and
changes in the seafloor);

Environmental Considerations
 Toxic releases from leaks or accidental
spills of liquids used in those systems with
working hydraulic fluids;
 Visual and noise impacts (device-specific,
with considerable variability in visible
freeboard height and noise generation
above and below the water surface);
 Conflict with other sea space users, such as
commercial shipping and recreational
boating.
Advantages
In general terms wave energy
generation has the following
advantages.
 the energy is free – no fuel is needed
and no waste is produced
 not expensive to operate and
maintain
 can produce a significant amount of
energy.
Disadvantages
In general terms wave energy
generation has the following
disadvantages.
 depends on the waves – variable
energy supply
 needs a suitable site, where waves
are consistently strong
 some designs are noisy

Disadvantages
 must be able to withstand very rough
weather
 costly to develop
 visual impact if above water or on
shore
 can disturb or disrupt marine life –
including changes in the distribution
and types of marine life near the
shore
Disadvantages
 poses a possible threat to navigation from
collisions due to the low profile of the wave
energy devices above the water, making
them undetectable either by direct sighting
or by radar
 may interfere with mooring and anchorage
lines with commercial and sport-fishing
 may degrade scenic ocean front views from
wave energy devices located near or on the
shore, and from onshore overhead electric
transmission lines

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