About Wave Power

Energy from ocean surface waves

Unlike most kinds of renewable energy, wave power can produce power continuously. Ocean waves represent a considerable renewable energy resource. Nearly all of the energy is concentrated near the water surface with little wave action below 165 ft (50 meters) depth. This makes wave power a highly concentrated energy source with much smaller hourly and day-to-day variations. The rising and falling of the waves off shore can be captured by several devices specifically designed for this purpose.

Wave power is perhaps the least intrusive of all the renewable energy technologies. Wave power is very environmentally friendly. It does not create any waste, does not have any CO2 emissions or criteria pollutants, there is no noise pollution, no visual impact, and has little to not threat to marine life. Although the technology is limited to coastal locations its potential impact is large because of the large concentration of population along the coasts and the suitability of most coastal locations to the implementation of wave power. Proponents claim that the energy cost for producing electricity via wave power will be competitive with conventional power within a very short time.

However, wave power technology is still in its infancy with many competing technologies. The reliability of the devices for capturing energy from the waves has not been demonstrated on a very large scale. Some devices are quite complex and may require quite a bit of refinement before they can be considered mature technology.

Wave power is located along the coasts of many areas of the world. This map shows the potential power that could be generated from waves expressed as kW/meter of wave front. Sites with an average wave power level of over15 kW/m have the potential to generated wave energy at a competitive price.

Wave power is located along the coasts of many areas of the world. This map shows the potential power that could be generated from waves expressed as kW/meter of wave front. Sites with an average wave power level of over15 kW/m have the potential to generated wave energy at a competitive price.