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<\/a>Wave Energy – How Does It Work?<\/h3>\n
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<\/strong> such as the Pelamis wave energy converter, extract energy directly from the surface motion of the waves or from pressure fluctuations below the surface.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Coastlines in the northern and temperate zones of the planet are ideally suited to capture wave energy thanks to prevailing winds known as westerlies <\/a>. Ocean wave energy projects have already been funded in Europe and Australia.\u00c2\u00a0 In fact the world\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s first<\/a> commercial wave energy farm<\/a> was launched in 2008 at the Agu\u00c3\u00a7adora Wave Park<\/a> off Portugal\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s northern coast. The Northern California coastline provides perfect geographical circumstances for wave energy farms: the westerlies (which blow strongest in winter) create intense waves that that crash against Pacific shores.<\/p>\n The City of San Francisco has filed an application for a wave power<\/a> farm that could produce up to 30 megawatts of power<\/a>.. Mayor Gavin Newsom is 100% committed to the development of the proposed wave farm off of Ocean Beach in San Francisco.<\/p>\n “Ocean power is a true \u00e2\u20ac\u0153game changer\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in the area of renewable energy.” <\/em>says the Mayor.<\/strong> “When wave and tidal power technologies reach commercial scale, they are expected to be able to provide thousands of megawatts of power to our coastal communities, dramatically green our energy portfolios and create thousands of new American jobs. In San Francisco, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been doing our part to spur these technologies by aggressively advancing tidal and wave power pilot projects. “<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Unlike the Agu\u00c3\u00a7adora Wave Park<\/a> in Portugal which operates solely on Pelamis converters, the city of San Francisco will explore over 50 different types of wave devices currently under development, ranging from \u00e2\u20ac\u0153pitching\u00e2\u20ac\u009d devices (Pelamis<\/a>), \u00e2\u20ac\u0153overtopping\u00e2\u20ac\u009d devices (Wave Dragon<\/a>), oscillating water columns (OceanLinx<\/a>) and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153heaving\u00e2\u20ac\u009d devices (Aquabuoy<\/a>) to determine what will work best for San Francisco\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s waters.<\/p>\n Image Credit:blog.chosun.com\/jktbae<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nOcean Power Is A Renewable Energy Game Changer<\/h3>\n