Wave Energy Principles of Operation and Prospects for Energy
Wave energy, in fact, serves as an alternative to existing hydropower. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that the energy of waves appearing in the sea and in the ocean is used. The specific power of such waves exceeds the power of solar and wind energy, so this is a promising development of energy sources that are constantly renewable.
Why is it profitable
Sea and ocean waves are a limitless source of Free Electricity that is constantly being renewed. Wave power plants are located in a natural environment, which makes it possible to use the enormous energy of the seas and oceans.
Advantages and disadvantages of wave energy
Wave power plants now account for only one percent of the energy received, despite the fact that they have huge potential.
This restriction is primarily due to the fact that such energy is too expensive, which is economically unprofitable. A kilowatt of energy produced by the WPP method is several times more expensive than the same amount of energy that was generated by conventional methods.
Advantages
The advantages of using wave energy include:
- Such stations can be used as wave dampers, which is protection against destruction of the shores, as well as structures located near the shore.
- It is possible to install wave generators with not too much power on bridge supports and berths, which reduces the negative impact of water on them.
- Wave energy is more profitable than wind energy, since the wind power is lower than the wave power.
- In order to generate electrical energy with the help of waves, it does not require hydrocarbon raw materials, whose reserves are already small.
Disadvantages
The disadvantages of using wave energy include environmental considerations. The environment can be damaged by covering a significant part of the water surface with wave energy converters. The fact is that waves play a significant role in the gas exchange of water and the atmosphere, as well as in the liberation of the water surface from various pollutants.
Another disadvantage is that some generators may pose a danger to normal shipping. There may be a displacement of fish farming from fishing facilities and many people will lose their jobs.
Photo by Federico Beccari on Unsplash