Power from A Single Wave-Energy Absorber

Danai Patiyoot*
Department of Engineering, Royal Thai Naval Academy, Paknam, Muang, Thailand
*Corresponding Author: Danai Patiyoot, Department of Engineering, Royal Thai Naval Academy, Paknam, Muang, Thailand.

Published: March 02, 2023

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Abstract  

Wave energy technologies have been around for decades. But for a variety of reasons, including rising oil prices, technological advancements and the sheer grit of a handful of pioneer developers, it has made a huge splash since 2005. This paper presented the result of power absorbed by a single wave-energy absorber.

Introduction

     One of the major contributors to climate change is the carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions produced by coal, oil and gas to generate electricity. Some of the world’s leading climate scientists predict that if no action is taken, the world’s average surface temperature will increase from 1.4 to 5.8⁰C by the year 2100. The potential costs to society are enormous. Globally, temperature has already risen by 0.6⁰C in the past century.

     The world energy consumption is estimated to rise considerably over the next decades. Being constantly reminded that traditional methods of energy production are contributing to serious environmental problems; the governments worldwide have seen the urgent need for pollution-free power generation. The energy sector was forced through a renovating process, which sees an opening towards renewable energy. In the dynamic evolution of the renewable energy, wave energy is emerging since the ocean covers an estimated 70% of the earth’s surface and provides a vast resource with virtually unlimited untapped energy potential.

     Power from ocean waves is a derived form of solar energy, with wind being the agent that transfers the sun’s energy to the sea surface. Winds that produce waves are caused by pressure differences in the atmosphere arising from solar heating. Once created, waves can travel thousands of kilometers with little energy loss. Even the longest waves do not begin to “feel the bottom” until they enter water depths of 300 meters or less. Consequently, wave energy generated anywhere within an ocean basin ultimately arrives at some island or continental margin of that basin virtually undiminished.

     Wave energy is gathered along its coastlines, which total 336,000 km in length. At a global rate of 10¹² to 10¹³ watts, the average wave energy flux worldwide is on the order of several to a few tens of kilowatts per meter of shoreline (kW/m), which is the typical flux that would be incident on a wave energy device.

     The two components of energy within waves are potential energy and kinetic energy. Potential energy refers to the form or elevation of the wave, while kinetic energy is associated with the velocity of the water particles within the wave. Ocean wave energy conversion technologies therefore makes use of the kinetic energy trapped within the ocean’s waves to produce electricity.

     Section2 mentioned generally about wave-energy absorber. Section 3 provided basic theory background of power absorption of a single wave-energy absorber. Following in section 4, the results were given. In section 5, conclusion was given about this paper.