The San Francisco Bay Area looks like it could be home to USA’s first major Ocean Wave Energy farm.
On the heels of President Obama’s commitment to developing a renewable energy economy, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, announced a preliminary permit application sent to the federal government for a wave power project off the coast of California. The project promises to bring wave energy and jobs to the Bay Area.
Wave Energy – How Does It Work?
When winds blow over the ocean with a degree of consistency and force, they produce intense ocean waves on a regular basis. Wave power devices such as the Pelamis wave energy converter, extract energy directly from the surface motion of the waves or from pressure fluctuations below the surface.
The Pelamis wave energy converter resembles a huge “sea snake” in the water. It is a series of long, cylindrical tubes that are hinged at its joints. The converter generates power in the joints connecting its tube sections. As ocean waves jostle the joints up, down and side-to-side, hydraulic rams drive an electric generator. The electricity is then carried to shore via a sub-sea cable.
Coastlines in the northern and temperate zones of the p