Think about it: Sea Waves are an endless source of energy available in all coastal areas! There are companies that manufacture equipment that can harness the energy of sea waves, now. I am not sure if any of them have operations in India, but it is useful to know what exists.
Even better than wave energy, maybe the offshore wind turbines. These are large wind turbines that are placed deep into the sea where the wind currents are very high. They are large-scale (MW(s)-sized) and efficient. However offshore wind turbines are very expensive to built and they need specialized ships, equipment and skills to mount and maintain. This technology is outside the purview of many countries, and India is just experimenting with a pilot project.
Wave energy, on the other hand, though is less forceful, has more kinetic energy than wind. Hence it is possible to generate electricity in smaller scale using smaller/inexpensive devices, especially if they are designed and manufactured with local conditions in mind. Also, since waves are available throughout the day, even through their intensity might vary, electricity production can be achieved 24x7.
Wave energy, on the other hand, though is less forceful, has more kinetic energy than wind. Hence it is possible to generate electricity in smaller scale using smaller/inexpensive devices, especially if they are designed and manufactured with local conditions in mind. Also, since waves are available throughout the day, even through their intensity might vary, electricity production can be achieved 24x7.
In this post, I want to highlight two manufacturers of wave energy harnessing devices (from Scotland, Israel), and one invention from India - IWAVE that converts wave/tidal energy into electricity.
Aquamarine Power:
Aquamarine Power, based in Scotland, UK, has devised an interesting technology to harness the energy of sea waves. They call it Oyster wave energy technology. See the above introductory video.
This device can be placed near the shore (500 meters) in ten-meter deep waters. It is attached to the sea bed and the large even surface plate bends forward and backward as the wave approaches and recedes. It pumps compressed water to an on-shore hydro electric power generating plant using under-sea pipelines, and the hydro plant generates electricity. This power is completely renewable. They say that the device has a life of 20 years and it is possible to maintain/repair/remove the unit whenever required. This is one company that is close to setting up megawatt-scale wave energy farms in the UK.
You can find more info about them from here: Aquamarine power.
Eco Wave Power:
Eco Wave Power, based in Israel, is another company specializing in manufacturing wave energy devices. See the above video for an introduction to their EWP wave energy devices.
They have two products: The Wave Clapper and Power Wing. They use a combination of uniquely-shaped buoys to convert the motion of waves into electricity. Their system also comes with storm protection and corrosion protection mechanisms. It can be arranged in a flexible modular structure, based on the required capacity. Here also, the energy of the motion of floats is delivered to an on-shore generator via undersea cables, which produces electricity.
You can find more info about them from here: Eco Wave Power.
IWAVE:
IWAVE is a device that converts wave/tidal energy into electrical energy, designed by someone from our very own India. This is a floating structure attached to the seabed via cables, and can be positioned approximately 500 meters away from the coast. The energy of the rising wave drives a piston which in turn drives the crankshaft by half a turn. The receding wave helps complete the remaining half turn. This motion drives a generator which produces electricity. This generator can be placed next to the device.
Have a look at this page for more information about IWAVE. The contact details of the inventor is also available there.
India has tested two wave energy pilot projects earlier, but has not ventured into commercial wave energy generation. There is a lot of potential as we have 7500 KM of coastal area, but we need to overcome many limitations, including: Technical design that is efficient, cost effective & easily maintainable; ability to withstand high tides and forceful waves; ability to resist corrosion; nonavailability of specialized resources and manpower to design and manufacture, etc. However, wave energy is one renewable energy technology that we can start focusing on from now in order to supplement energy from other renewable/conventional sources.
If someone wants to design an effective wave energy device, but is finding it difficult to procure modelling software, etc., please have a look at the open source wave energy modeling initiative by the DoE and NASA of US. You can contribute to that project, as well as use it to design more efficient wave energy systems: Details here.
