THE INCREDIBLE WAVAL POWER

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THE INCREDIBLEWAVAL POWER!

• A Project by your friends Rev. Alexander
  What-What My Belly Shoulson, Nomi The
  Mercurator Teutsch, and Adam I Ate My Socks
  Shapiro IV

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Waves I've got the power!

• Wave energy is created by a system of buoys that
  raise up and down and turn a generator that
  harnesses energy, which is then sent to a power
  station on the land.

• During 2005, the amount of energy produced by
  wave power in the U.S. was nearly equivalent to
  that produced by coal and ten times the amount of
  energy produced by hydroelectric plants.

• Wave energy is among the most environmentally
  benign technologies. The technology is a
  long-term solution to supplementing current power
  needs, as it is a low-impact power generation
  technology that cannot be very easily depleted.

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Wave Diagram
http//www.greenpeace.org.uk/Templates/template3_v
iew.cfm?UCIDParam20021121153111
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Pros and Cons of Wave Power

• Pros
• Free energy with no waste produced.
• Relatively cheap to operate.
• Produces a large amount of energy.

• Cons
• Highly dependant on weather and tidal conditions.
  
• Needs a suitable site, where waves are
  consistently strong.
• Some designs are noisy.
• Must be able to withstand very rough weather.
• Conflicts over common resources, namely waves.

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The Cost
Generating power from a wave power station is
estimated to be approximately 3-4 per kWh for
100MW systems, or 7-10 per kWh for smaller 1MW
plants. This estimate includes expenses for
maintenance and operation, along with the cost of
the equipment itself. These estimates are,
however, still projections.
Other Energy Costs
Coal 4.8-5.5 /kWh Gas
3.9-4.4 /kWh Hydro
5.1-11.3 /kWh Biomass
5.8-11.6 /kWh Nuclear
11.1-14.5 /kWh Wind (without PTC)
4.0-6.0 /kWh Wind (with PTC) 3.3-5.3
/kWh
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Future Predictions
Wave power has the potential to yield far more
energy than tidal power. With tidal power,
dissipation is 2.5 terawatts, while the potential
for waves is far greater since it is more
directly related to the strength of lunar
gravity. Also, due to the nature of wave energy,
it may be exploited in more countries with
broader coastlines and strong winds, namely
Ireland and the UK. These countries could derive
more than five percent of their total electricity
from wave energy, and use any excess for hydrogen
or aluminum production.
Limitations

• The technology cannot be used in landlocked
  countries, as it requires a coastline for use.
• More efficient equipment is far more delicate
  than less efficient equipment. As such, for the
  sake of durability, productivity is lost. The
  technology has the potential for a 90 conversion
  of wave motion to electrical energy in controlled
  experiments, but most of the actual equipment
  falls far short of this amount.

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Environmental/Ethical/Legal Issues

• Hydrodynamic Environment devices could act as
  coastal protection and change the flow patterns
  of sediment, which would require sensitive site
  selection.
• Devices as Artificial Habitats devices could
  attract and promote populations of various marine
  creatures.
• Noise this would come primarily from the Wells
  turbines of shoreline/nearshore OWCs, though
  these can be sound proofed.
• Navigational Hazards adequate visual and radar
  warning devices can be built into most devices.
• Visual Effects these would occur only for
  shoreline/nearshore devices.
• Leisure Amenity devices could provide calm
  waters thereby promoting some water sports (e.g.
  canoeing and scuba diving).
• Conversion and Transmission of Energy there may
  be visual and environmental impacts associated
  with the line required to transmit electricity to
  shore and to the grid.
• With careful siting, most of these impacts would
  be small and easily reversible.

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Three Types of Generators
Floats or Pitching Devices These devices use the
bobbing or pitching movement of a floating object
in the water to generate electricity. These
objects can be free floating such as a raft, or
tethered somehow to the ocean floor. Oscillating
Water Columns (OWC) These devices use air
pressure in an isolated cylindrical shaft to
generate power as waves rise and fall within. The
movement of these waves pushes air through the
shaft and into an air-driven propeller turbine,
which spins and generates power. Wave Surge or
Focusing Devices These shoreline facilities use a
tapered channel or tapchan system to
pressurize incoming wave surges and concentrate
the waves so that they rise into an elevated
reservoir. From there, the water is released and
used by gravity to generate power using standard
hydropower techniques.
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Works Cited!

• http//www.wavedragon.net/
• www.awea.org/pubs/factsheets/Cost2001.PDF
• http//www.worldenergy.org/wec-geis/publications/r
  eports/ser/wave/wave.asp
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave_power
• http//www.eere.energy.gov/RE/ocean_wave.html
• http//europa.eu.int/comm/energy_transport/atlas/h
  tmlu/wavenv.html
• http//www.darvill.clara.net/altenerg/tidal.htm
• http//curtrosengren.typepad.com/alternative_energ
  y/2005/03/wave_power.html
• http//www.darvill.clara.net/altenerg/wave.htm
• http//renewable-energy-source.info/tidal-power.ht
  m
• http//renewable-energy-source.info/wave-power.htm
  
• http//www.treehugger.com/files/2006/03/lunar_powe
  r_com_1.php
• http//www.treehugger.com/files/2005/09/scotland_t
  o_har_1.php
• http//www.greenpeace.org.uk/Templates/template3_v
  iew.cfm?UCIDParam20021121153111