What is Wave energy: Definition and 25 Discussions

Wave power is the capture of energy of wind waves to do useful work – for example, electricity generation, water desalination, or pumping water. A machine that exploits wave power is a wave energy converter (WEC).
Wave power is distinct from tidal power, which captures the energy of the current caused by the gravitational pull of the Sun and Moon. Waves and tides are also distinct from ocean currents which are caused by other forces including breaking waves, wind, the Coriolis effect, cabbeling, and differences in temperature and salinity.
Wave-power generation is not a widely employed commercial technology compared to other established renewable energy sources such as wind power, hydropower and solar power. However, there have been attempts to use this source of energy since at least 1890 mainly due to its high power density. As a comparison, the power density of photovoltaic panels is 1 kW/m2 at peak solar insolation, and the power density of the wind is 1 kW/m2 at 12 m/s; the average annual power density of the waves at e.g. San Francisco coast is 25 kW/m2.In 2000 the world's first commercial Wave Power Device, the Islay LIMPET was installed on the coast of Islay in Scotland and connected to the National Grid. In 2008, the first experimental multi-generator wave farm was opened in Portugal at the Aguçadoura Wave Park.

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  1. M

    A Wave energy dissipated due to geometry

    Hey Condition 1: A 2D infinite plane and there is a circular hole in the middle. When t=0, an impulsive loading, P=f(t), is applied to the boundary of the circle(outward), so the wave will start at the boundary of the circle and propagate in the plane Condition 2: A 3D infinite plane and there...
  2. E

    Signal Transmission Using Sound Waves

    Consider the following thought experiment... You are an engineer with a very peculiar assignment. With a mind to reduce the investment of excessive human labor and material waste, you have been asked to build an apparatus similar to an old-fashioned voicepipe. You are asked to ensure that the...
  3. CricK0es

    How can I evaluate the power produced by a WEC unit? (wave energy)

    I'm currently researching if I could implement some wave energy into my small scale hypothetical project. I've identified some commercial models, namely Seabased and SINNPower, and I assumed that they would have approximate values of power output given wave period, height (among many other...
  4. C

    A Questions about the energy of a wave as a Taylor series

    I've read that, in general, the energy of a wave, as opposed to what's commonly taught, isn't strictly related to the square of the amplitude. It can be seen to be related to a Taylor series, where E = ao + a1 A + a2A2 ... Also, that the energy doesn't depend on phase, so only even terms will...
  5. T

    Refraction of Ocean waves: Wide Headland vs Narrow

    When a wave encounters the shallow water of a headland the shallow section slows while the deeper section continues traveling at a faster speed. This causes refraction of the wave ray towards the shallower headland section For wave rays encountering perpendicular a shallow headland does...
  6. JTC

    Gyroscopic Water Wave Energy Converters

    Say I have a disk spinning in a buoy. Let me say the spin axis is vertical to the flat surface of the buoy (or sea if there were no waves). Now along comes a wave (that will induce a "precession" of the disk/buoy. The axis of this precession is from "starboard to port." This would induce...
  7. D

    Calculating Capacitors for Wave Energy Collectors

    How can I calculate the capacitor needed for my wave energy collector? I have have build a wave energy collector. It consists of multiple coils in series with magnets moving up and down, following the waves underneath the unit. My multi-meter measures anywhere between 60 and 250 milli volts...
  8. N

    Sound Wave Energy Loss due to thickness of aluminum

    Hello everyone! I previously opened a thread asking about sound wave energy loss in aluminum discs based on thickness. I am looking to find out more about exactly how much using a disc that is twice the thickness of the other, (one is 1/8" and the other is 1/4") sound energy would be lost using...
  9. N

    Sound Wave Energy loss question

    Hello everyone! I am currently working on a project where I have a piezoelectric sound transducer connected to a glass tube via an aluminum disc. I got two aluminum discs with one twice the thickness as the other. I wanted to know which aluminum disc would work best, the thin one or the thick...
  10. O

    Location and intensity prediction of wave energy

    Hello forum, Is there any method of knowing the location of source and probably intensity of vibration from afar without sorting to a doppler effect? This is in the same as our auditory sense, when people call us at a distance we could easily approximate how far they are and the volume they speak
  11. UncertaintyAjay

    Confused About Wave Energy and Light Energy: Seeking Clarification

    So, I've learned in school that the energy of a wave is proportional to the square of its amplitude. I've also learned that the energy of light is given by E= hv. I'm confused. Could someone clarify?
  12. D

    Wave Energy Density: Discrepancy in Units

    Homework Statement In deep water, it can be shown that ##\omega = \sqrt{gk/2}## Orcas (killer whales) have been filmed generating waves in deep water to knock seals off ice floes. Assume that an orca can generate a wavepacket which is simply half a sine wave (i.e. ##\sin(kx)## from ##kx =0##...
  13. F

    Choosing a generator for a wave energy demonstrator

    Hey! I am building a small scale wave energy converter for testing in a wave tank. I have my device almost ready, but I am still missing a generator. My idea is to just to show that my design works and I can light a light bulb. I can convert my linear motion to rotary motion. Then I can use...
  14. V

    How Do You Calculate the Energy of Particles Using De Broglie's Equation?

    Problem: a. Calculate the energy in eV of an electron with a wavelength of 1 fm. b. Make the same calculation for a neutron. Solution (so far): a. λ=h/p=(hc)/(pc)=(1240 MeV fm)/(pc)=1fm so, pc=1240 MeV E=√[(pc)^2+E_0^2] =√[(1240 MeV)^2+(.511MeV)^2] ∴E=1.24 GeV This is the same answer...
  15. P

    Electromagnetic wave energy density

    An electromagnetic plane wave has an electric field and a magnetic field. Each component contributes equally to the energy density. Mathematically it is very straight forward to show this is true. The question is, "Fundamentally, why is this true?" Again, I'm not looking for a derivation...
  16. A

    Integrating a Gaussian Pulse for Kinetic Energy Calculation

    I'm having a hard time evaluating this integral. A Gaussian pulse \psi (y,t) = Ae^{-( \frac{y-ct}{a} )^2} is traveling in an infinite string of linear mass density \rho, under tension T. I know the Kinetic Energy is the integral of the partial: \frac{\rho}{2} \int_{-\infty}^{\infty}...
  17. G

    Can a High Schooler's Wave Energy Converter Revolutionize Renewable Power?

    I don't want to give too much away about the design but i have tested it in real life and it works... The only energy that is lost is lost to friction. The machine converts the chaotic motion (all of it... yes that means up, down etc) of compound waves into the unidirectional rotation of a...
  18. T

    Laser Pointer Wave Energy and eyes seeing

    Homework Statement A typical “laser pen” pointer has a power output of 3mW at 670nm. If the angular divergence of the beam is 2mrad, estimate the maximum distance at which it could be seen by a day-adapted human eye. You can assume that in bright light, a normal eye will give a signal from...
  19. A

    Standing Wave Energy: Find Total Mech. Energy

    Homework Statement A standing wave is maintained in a homogenous string of cross-sectional area a and density \rho . It is formed by the superposition of two waves traveling in opposite directions given by the equations y1 = Asin(wt-kx) y2 = 2Asin(wt +kx) Find the total mechanical energy...
  20. Z

    Wave energy ~ wave height squ. or wave amplitude squ.?

    Hello, I've found different formulas regarding wave energy. 1) Wave energy is proportional to wave length \lambda times wave height squared 2) Wave energy is proportional to wave period T times wave amplitude squared From what I've read, wave period is equivalent to wave length. But...
  21. N

    Sound wave energy transfer to heat water?

    I was just wondering if anyone has any idea on how I would go about working this out. I have performed the experiments at home, placing a container of water on top of a speaker and then playing a high frequency and high dB sound through them, however, I can not find any equations online or in my...
  22. wolram

    ]Building a Better Wave Energy Machine: Can it Be Done?

    Would it be possible with modern materials and know how to build a better Duck? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave_power His invention, Salter's Edinburgh Duck, continues to be the machine against which all others are measured. In small scale controlled tests, the Duck's curved cam-like body...
  23. I

    Understanding Wave Energy: Amplitude vs Frequency

    I am just really confused about what determines energy of a wave?! I have heard that the energy of a wave is proportional to the amplitude squared but I have also heard that frequency determines a wave's energy. Which is the correct answer? Can they both be true?
  24. J

    Interpreting Body Wave-Surface Wave Energy Transfer with Vectors & Tensors

    Homework Statement Hi, as part of my final year project I am investigating how rayleigh surface waves are generated by transverse body waves. I've seen how Kolsky derives these waves by slving the wave equation for this type of waveform. My supervisor wants me to describe the energy transfer...
  25. L

    EM wave energy and magnitude

    Suppose a 50-kW radio station emits EM waves uniformly in all directions (a) How much energy per second crosses a 1.0m^2 area 100m from the transmitting antenna? (b) What is the rms magnitude of the E field at this point, assuming the station is operating at full power? (c) What is the voltage...
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