New developments in wave power
A Norway based company has developed a new approach to producing energy from wave power. This energy concept is based on storing potential energy of the incoming waves in several reservoirs placed one above the other. The incoming wave will run up a slope, and on its return it will flow into the reservoirs. After the wave is captured inside the reservoirs, the water will run through the multi stage turbine.
The multi-stage turbine has the advantage of using different heights of waterfall on a common turbine wheel. This technology will prevent any start/stop sequence on the turbine even if only one reservoir is supplying water to the turbine. From tests carried out by this company, a 500m long full scale SSG construction along a coastline with a 15kW/m wave climate will be able to produce 18 GWh/year. And this without any plume of smoke in sight.
The European Commission has just granted €1 million to WAVEenergy AS, a Stavanger Norway-based company set up a year ago to develop the Seawave Slot Cone Generator (SSG) concept. This company is using this grant for a pilot project on the island of Kvitsoy, Norway, where it is developing a full-scale technical prototype of the SSG breakwater structure and install this on the west coast of this island in an estimated 15 kW/m wave climate.
Norway's minister for the environment Knut Arild Hareide, recently claimed that Norway wants to contribute to the stimulation of environmental technologies in the European Union's new member states - particularly, he states, through the new European Economic Area financing instruments.
posted by Tim @ 21:28
2 comments
2 Comments:
I gave a speech in communitcation class about renewable energy sources. And I did mention the power of waves as one of the most constant forces in nature. If this power could be harvested, energy could become cleaner. I do have concerns about how rapidly the need for energy is growing and wonder if all sources of energy combined, clean or dirty, will be enough down the line.
Also, I am concerned about environmental degradation/affects of any type of meddleing into the ocean. For example, when i did my speech research i found out how damning rivers and using hydroelectric power changes ecosystems. When once shallow water habitats become deep. I'll check out some websites u listed about this technology though.
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