What is Wave Power?
Waves are a free, endless source of energy, created by winds blowing across the surface of the ocean. Wave energy technology harnesses this energy to produce electricity either on the shoreline, where the waves break, or in deeper water offshore. Wave power is largely untapped and is the most concentrated form of renewable energy. The total wave resource around the UK is equivalent to 2-3 times our current electricity demand.
Wave power or wave energy is the energy that could be generated using the power of the waves that are found at the surface of the ocean. Specifically, the energy that the waves have or produce is converted into other forms of energy such as electricity. Although wave energy is considered as a renewable source of energy, its application and utilization has not gained much popularity due to numerous limitations – specifically, how wave energy can be efficiently used for electricity generation.
Wave power is a form of alternative energy which harnesses the natural movements of the world’s oceans. In the late 1990s, a number of firms began to explore the possibility of wave power, and in the early 2000s, a number of experimental installations were made around the world to see how feasible wave power could be. It is believed that if harnessed correctly, wave power could generate massive amounts of electricity which could be used to do things like run desalination plants, power water treatment facilities, and power homes and businesses for consumers. As a result of early success, several nations became more invested in the idea. The concept takes advantage of the already abundant energy in the ocean, which manifests in the rise and fall of water in the form of waves. One of the easiest ways to capture this energy is through a simple air chamber. As the waves rise and fall in the chamber, they force air through the top, spinning a turbine which can be used in electricity generati
