There are several different ways to use ocean waves to generate electricity but the process always involves combining natural (or artificial) waves with wave power devices to activate the electrical system.

Ocean Wave Power Generation Systems

Some of the techniques include placing generators on or below the ocean’s surface, using floating tubes to pump ocean water into a generator, or using fake wind, pools and air chambers to direct moving air into a turbine which activates a generator. An example of using wave generated wind-flow to drive the turbines is demonstrated in the following video:

Wave power has the potential to produce large amounts of electricity, but there are currently very few wave farms in the world. Wave power still appears to be in an experimental phase: the technology is proven to work, but the logistics of financing and setting up large-scale wave farms along major coastlines is not high up on the agenda for most nations, at least not yet. Additionally, there are difficulties with the actual conversion of wave energy into electricity. Although the potential for energy is there, harnessing wave power and putting it to use is not as simple as it is with wind and solar power. It’s also a challenge to design wave power devices that can withstand the constant crashing of the waves without getting damaged.

Wave power is only truly effective in coastal areas with enough wind to generate frequent, high-energy waves, such as parts of Scotland, Australia, Africa, Canada, and the United States. However, none of these locations currently have any wave farms large enough to generate a significant amount of electricity.

One of the more recent wave farms is the Aguçadoura Wave Farm, which opened in Portugal in 2008, but not to great success. After two months of operation, the wave farm came to a halt due to technical issues with the machinery and because of a lack of financing, the farm has yet to re-open.

There have been discussions about funding wave farms in Scotland (one of the earliest wave generators was built in Scotland decades ago) and Cornwall, England, but aside from these possible locations, there are still no other prospective commercial wave farms in the world. Currently, the wave farms that do exist are small, and are mostly used for desalination and pumping water.

Other Ocean-related Energy Systems

Similar to wave power is a system called “tidal power.” People sometimes confuse the two, and although they both use the movement of water to generate energy, they are not the same thing. Waves are caused by wind blowing across the water’s surface.

The tide, however, has nothing to do with the wind; it’s caused by the gravitational forces of the moon. As the moon rotates, the tide rises and falls because of the gravitational pulls. Although it’s easier to make predictions about the tide than the waves, the use of tidal power is still very minimal, mostly due to high expense and a lack of optimal places to implement it. The first tidal power station emerged in France in the 1960’s, and since then a handful of other tidal energy sites have sprung up in North America, Europe, and Asia. Tidal power mostly relies on the use of tidal barrages, dames, and turbines to generate energy.

Ocean Power: A Developing Resource

The main criticisms of wave power fall under the problems of finance and difficulty in effectively harnessing potential wave energy. Some people also complain how the wave energy devices are eyesores on what would otherwise be beautiful coastal areas. Additionally, these devices could potentially affect marine life or cause a bothersome amount of noise.

The evolving technology surrounding the wave power industry will likely continue to make improvements to address these concerns, and although it currently falls short of competing with wind and solar power, it’s possible that wave power will become more regularly used as technologies improve, the cost goes down and efficiency goes up.

The Benefits of Solar Energy

Photovoltaic solar panels are assembled special silicon or germanium coated cells, which convert sunlight into usable electricity. These panels can be grouped together in a solar panel array and installed around homes and businesses and are usually situated on the roof of a building.

Solar power heat concentrators, on the other hand, do not utilize photochemical panels, but work more like a magnifying glass just on a larger scale. The sunlight is reflected through mirrors and lenses and concentrated into a beam of solar-charged heat. This solar heat is beamed towards a specific target, such as a steam generator for a power plant where the heat produces electrical energy.

Sunlight-driven solar energy is being put to many different uses including:

1) increased agricultural productivity;
2) natural and hybrid solar lighting;
3) water distillation and desalinization;
4) solar-powered food cookers;
5) electric-powered vehicles and gadgets, and
6) heating water.

A Limited Use Energy Resource

Despite all the potential benefits of solar energy in many areas of our personal and industrial lives, solar power still provides less than 1% of all electricity here in the United States. California is by far the state at the forefront of solar energy usage and innovation. Though solar systems are slightly more common in Europe and China, they still represent a minor source of energy compared to the energy produced using fossil fuels.

Pros and Cons of Solar Energy

There are two main drawbacks to using solar power; mainly the relatively high cost as well as being an inconvenience to many. Since the electricity is generated via sunlight, solar panels (and the use of heat concentrators) are only effective during the day while the sun is out. This is inconvenient when homes or business need to use electricity at night to power their air-conditioning and heating systems; electrical appliances, or lights. In addition, if you compare solar systems to other sources of renewable energy, solar power tends to be one of the more expensive options often costing more to produce than wind or wave generated power.

Fortunately, costs have been gradually declining plus new technological advancements are constantly being made, making solar energy an attractive option when considering the future of renewable energy. This is particularly true in areas receiving 300 plus days of sunshine like the southwestern U.S.

Despite its apparent drawbacks, solar power is undeniably important in terms of utilizing a renewable resource in order to provide the electrical power we all need. The inconvenience of being out of electricity at night can be diminished with the installation of alternative energy systems (wind power or buy-back from the grid) when the Sun sets or on cloudy days.

Over time the cost issue will likely continue to diminish as the price of traditional energy sources rise and technical advancements lead to more efficient systems. Rest assured, fossil fuels will not last forever, and as we continue to deplete that resource, their prices will rise even faster. As long as people still want to enjoy the comforts of a modern lifestyle, transitioning to renewable energy sources is more than necessary and with all the benefits of solar energy it will be part of the solution.

Those farms of extremely large wind turbines can provide enough electricity to power a many homes and businesses, ranging in numbers from a few hundred to tens of thousands. Some of the largest commercial-sized turbines have rotor areas stretching some 390 feet across.  Very impressive!

But what if you are a home or small business owner? Is it possible to get a scaled-down version that will provide enough power for your own site?

And the simple answer … absolutely yes! As it turns out, there are quite a few domestic wind turbines on the market today! This is a great thing since it can help deal with rising oil prices and other fuel expenditures…

Pros and Cons of Wind Energy for the Home Owner

Modern technology is now providing a number of viable options for smaller domestic wind turbines suitable for a household or even small business. Fortunately you do not need one of those huge wind farm-sized turbines to fulfill for your household or small business needs.

Home-sized domestic wind turbines use blade rotor dimensions typically ranging between 8 and 25 feet in diameter. Depending on the unit you select as well as the nature of the wind field and average wind speeds, you might generate a few hundred watts to as much as 6 kilowatts of electricity.

One of the really cool side benefits of operating your own turbine; it can prevent as much as 9 pounds of carbon from being emitted by the generation from coal-fired plants to fulfill your electric needs. And of course that means lower amounts of greenhouse gases invading our atmosphere, which is already becoming more stressed as the years roll on…

Some Techy-type Stuff!

As mentioned above, one factor you need to investigate is the average wind speed and overall nature of the wind field on your lot. The domestic wind turbine you use needs wind speeds of approximately 10 miles an hour to start efficiently generating electric power.

A few of the newer, more advanced turbine models being manufactured today can actually begin generating electricity at wind velocities as low as 5 mph. These models are perfect for home or small business where winds are light and variable.

If interested, here are a few links to info on domestic wind turbines and wind power you might find helpful:

National Geographic: Wind Power Profile

USDOE: Wind Turbine Video

USDOE: Small Wind Electric Systems Guide (2010)

Most wind turbines today are engineered to last about 20 years or so, but like all mechanical devices will need some maintenance over the operational lifetime of the unit. Since these turbines use moving components to generate electric power, they will have to be replaced periodically as friction wears then down via consistent rotation of the turbine blades.

Are you a DIY type of person and want to build your own turbine?

There are dozens free plans to follow as well as a number of inexpensive kits for domestic wind turbines with all the parts you will need on the market today. Just be sure to check the validity of the vendor and be sure you are dealing with a reputable one before investing any money to start your own home turbine project!

s well as a number of inexpensive kits for domestic wind turbines with all the parts you will needon the market today. Just be sure to check the validity of the vendor and be sure you are dealing with a reputable one before investing any money to start your own home turbine project!

Nice work Lee  … Thanks!

Isn’t amazing how quickly things can change.  Just one short year ago, fuel prices were soaring and the emphasis on alternative energy was in the stratosphere along with them.

This summer it’s a completely different story.

Though thoughts of alternative energy systems haven’t completely diminished, it has definitely started to drift off to the sidelines.

Why?

First of all … The Economy ….

When people are suddenly being pressured with increasing costs, lay-offs or threats of lay-offs, stagnating salaries and so forth, it is difficult to be as enthusiastic about a topic like alternative energy.  Add in the fact that financing for alternative energy programs ran into the same funding issues as everything else, many projects were pushed to the back burner for the moment.

Then couple the fall in oil prices (> $120/barrel in ’08 to <$70/barrel in ’09) and lower prices at the pump thus easing the financial burden on summer travelers and it is easy to see why most people are starting to slip into complacency about our energy situation.

Now I am not saying we have completely forgotten about our energy situation but there are definitely more pressing things on our minds at the moment.  The one thing we can not afford to do is become completely complacent with foreign oil since the root of the problem (our dependence on it contributes to the financial burden on our economy) is still very much alive.

I became even more concerned today when I came across a news story posted on the Associated Press (AP) website about a significant oil discovery off the coast of Brazil.

The AP reported oil exploration companies had found a field believed to contain up to 8 billion barrels of oil in a region where the total recoverable oil estimates range up to 100 billion barrels.

Those are awfully big numbers aren’t they!

Perhaps or maybe they are just a little deceptive ….

First of all, the 100 billion barrel figure is the high-end estimate and there could be substantially less recoverable oil present given the location (deep water and difficult drilling conditions).  Secondly, let’s consider the quantity of oil present with the current daily global use of oil (85,897,000 barrels/day).

100,000,000,000 barrels/85,897,000 barrels/day = 1,164 DAYS

1,164 days/365 days/year = ~3.2 YEARS

Although the numbers may appear impressive (and in some respects they are), the high-end estimates only adds a few years into the global oil reserve.  If it turns out recoverable oil is more towards the low end of the range (50 billion barrels) it would only add 1.6 years into the global oil reserves.  Oh and one other thing, Brazil is a foreign country and therefore that is foreign oil as well!

Just remember, even though the economic burden imposed by petro-fuel costs have been somewhat alleviated from the recent past and there are claims by many people associated with the petroleum industry of huge finds to keep us going, the numbers just don’t add up!

Support viable alternative energy projects when ever you have the chance!