An intriguing analysis of the potential for generating electricity from ocean waves. In theory, "the US coasts alone could generate about 64% of total US utility-scale electricity generation (2.64...
An intriguing analysis of the potential for generating electricity from ocean waves. In theory, "the US coasts alone could generate about 64% of total US utility-scale electricity generation (2.64 trillion kWH)." It could be a good complement to solar energy, as waves become stronger during dreary winters.
There are plenty of technical challenges associated with harnessing wave energy, though there are a number of installations generating electricity right now. The biggest currently operating, the Nankun Mobile Power Bank in China, generates about 24,000 kWH/day. There are various competing designs out there, none of which have proven dominant yet. Significantly more research and infrastructure would be necessary for wave power to become a significant source of electricity.
I am interested in following this development over the next couple decades.
Really great breakdown of the tech, and the challenges it's facing. Glad this isn't the usual "zomg here's how awesome this tech is why aren't we using it!" i tend to see. The...
Really great breakdown of the tech, and the challenges it's facing. Glad this isn't the usual "zomg here's how awesome this tech is why aren't we using it!" i tend to see. The mechanical/engineering issues surrounding these types of generators are serious, and he does good job of going over them. Even touches a bit on the ecological impact concerns (although i'm still extremely skeptical of early research on this, because it's so often overly positive until the real data comes out).
Could have potential in mitigating the intermittency problem - wave power may often correlate with wind power, but it never drops to zero, which could narrow the gap that storage needs to fill at...
Could have potential in mitigating the intermittency problem - wave power may often correlate with wind power, but it never drops to zero, which could narrow the gap that storage needs to fill at times when clouds are out and the wind is still.
An intriguing analysis of the potential for generating electricity from ocean waves. In theory, "the US coasts alone could generate about 64% of total US utility-scale electricity generation (2.64 trillion kWH)." It could be a good complement to solar energy, as waves become stronger during dreary winters.
There are plenty of technical challenges associated with harnessing wave energy, though there are a number of installations generating electricity right now. The biggest currently operating, the Nankun Mobile Power Bank in China, generates about 24,000 kWH/day. There are various competing designs out there, none of which have proven dominant yet. Significantly more research and infrastructure would be necessary for wave power to become a significant source of electricity.
I am interested in following this development over the next couple decades.
Really great breakdown of the tech, and the challenges it's facing. Glad this isn't the usual "zomg here's how awesome this tech is why aren't we using it!" i tend to see. The mechanical/engineering issues surrounding these types of generators are serious, and he does good job of going over them. Even touches a bit on the ecological impact concerns (although i'm still extremely skeptical of early research on this, because it's so often overly positive until the real data comes out).
Could have potential in mitigating the intermittency problem - wave power may often correlate with wind power, but it never drops to zero, which could narrow the gap that storage needs to fill at times when clouds are out and the wind is still.