WAVE POWER

Presented by :
GROUP - IV
INTRODUCTION

 Ocean waves are caused by the wind as it blows across

the sea. Waves are a powerful source of energy.
 The problem is that it's not easy to harness this energy
and convert it into electricity in large amounts. Thus,
wave power stations are rare.
HOW THE WAVE POWER WORKS?

There are several methods of getting

energy from waves.
One of them works like a swimming pool
wave machine in reverse
At a swimming pool, air is blown in and out
of a chamber beside the pool, which makes
the water outside bob up and down,
causing waves.
 
 At a wave power station, the waves arriving cause the
water in the chamber to rise and fall, which means that
air is forced in and out of the hole in the top of the
chamber.
 We place a turbine in this hole, which is turned by the air
rushing in and out.
 The turbine turns a generator.

 A problem with this design is that the rushing air can be

very noisy, unless a silencer is fitted to the turbine.
 The noise is not a huge problem anyway, as the waves
make quite a bit of noise themselves.
EXAMPLE
 A company called Wavegen operate a commercial wave
power station called "Limpet" on the Scottish island of
Islay.
The action of the waves moves the device,
pumping hydraulic fluid to a shore station
to drive a generator
Another company is called Renewable
Energy Holdings. Their idea for
generating wave power (called "CETO")
uses underwater equipment on the sea bed
near the coast. Waves passing across the
top of the unit make a piston move, which
pumps seawater to drive generators on
land.
They're also involved with wind power
and biofuel
ADVANTAGES
 
 The energy is free - no fuel needed, no waste produced.
 Not expensive to operate and maintain.

 Can produce a great deal of energy.

DISADVANTAGES
 Depends on the waves - sometimes you'll get loads of
energy, sometimes almost nothing.
 Needs a suitable site, where waves are consistently
strong.
 Some designs are noisy. But then again, so are waves, so
any noise is unlikely to be a problem.
 Must be able to withstand very rough weather.
INDIAN WAVE ENERGY PROGRAM


The Indian Wave Energy Program started in 1983 at the Indian Institute
of Technology, Madras.
 Early research led to the conclusion that the Oscillating Water Column

(OWC) type of device was most suitable for Indian conditions and a
150 kW pilot plant was actually built and commissioned in October
1991 in the breakwater of the Vizinjham Fisheries Harbor near
Trivandrum in Kerala
 In 1993 the National Institute of Ocean Technology was established
within the IIT-M campus and it took over the wave energy program.
 NIOT continues research on wave energy as part of its overall mandate
to exploit India's ocean resources. While an improved model was again
installed at Vizinjham in April 1996, we don't see details of much
progress beyond that.
WAVE POWER IN KERALA
 Vizhinjam fishing harbour is the site of a unique
demonstrations plant that converts sea wave energy to
elecricity and is given to the local grid.
 This plant is based on the oscillating water column (
OWC) principle.
 A caisson was constructed in December 1990 at
Vizhinjam and two generations of power modules have
been tested as of today.
 The plant was first commissioned in October 1991.

 The physical processes in the energy conversion are

understood to a much greater extent, leading to a
threefold increase in absolute power from the plant.
 At present, more than 80% cost of the wave energy plant
is due to civil construction (concrete caissons).
 cost savings can be obtained using the concept of multi-
functional breakwaters wherein a power module forms
an incremental addition to a caisson breakwater.
 It is proposed to demonstrate the utility of this concept
with the design and construction of a breakwater with a
number of power modules.
CHALLENGES
 The device needs to capture a reasonable fraction of the
wave energy in irregular waves, in a wide range of sea
states.
 There is an extremely large fluctuation of power in the
waves. The peak absorption capacity needs to be much
(more than 10 times) larger than the mean power. For
wave power the ratio is typically 4.
 The device has to efficiently convert wave motion into
electricity. Generally speaking, wave power is available at
low speed and high force, and the motion of forces is not
in a single direction. Most readily-available electric
generators operate at higher speeds, and most readily-
available turbines require a constant, steady flow.
 The device has to be able to survive storm damage and
saltwater corrosion. Likely sources of failure include
seized bearings, broken welds, and snapped mooring
lines. Hence, designers may create prototypes that are so
overbuilt that materials costs prohibit affordable
production.
 The total cost of electricity is high. Wave power will be
competitive only when the total cost of generation is
reduced (or the total cost of power generated from other
sources increases). The total cost includes the primary
converter, the power take-off system, the mooring system,
installation & maintenance cost, and electricity delivery
costs.
 There is a potential impact on the marine environment.
Noise pollution, for example, could have negative
impact if not monitored, although the noise and visible
impact of each design varies greatly.
 In terms of socio-economic challenges, wave farms can
result in the displacement of commercial and
recreational fishermen from productive fishing grounds,
can change the pattern of beach sand nourishment, and
may represent hazards to safe navigation.
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