New Effort to Harvest Sustainable, Renewable Energy from Ocean Waves. (2020, September 9). Stevens Institute of Technology. https://www.stevens.edu/news/new-effort-harvest- sustainable-renewable-energy-ocean-waves

 

This article describes new efforts from the Stevens Institute of Technology to design a way to harness the power of waves off the coast of the United States — a project which is being supported by the US Department of Energy. They are trying to develop a device which moves with the waves and tides to generate renewable energy to power coastal communities or the larger grid during a blackout. Although researchers believe that waves along the coast can supply half of the United States power needs, technology that is ready for widespread use is not yet available. The team at the Stevens Institute of Technology proposes putting a series of flaps on the ocean floor which move with each wave to turn a generator and produce electricity. 

 

The energy within the movement of waves clearly has enormous potential to provide the country with an additional source of renewable energy. If we are able to harness the ocean’s energy along our coast, the source will have many advantages over other renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power. For example, unlike solar energy which only produces electricity during the daylight hours, wave energy would be able to provide renewable power throughout the day with little fluctuation. Moreover, wave energy is present throughout all of the coast, unlike wind energy which requires specific environments with high winds to provide a meaningful amount of energy. With this being said, installing large devices on the ocean floor or floating on the surface can be potentially damaging to the species which live there. Thus, environmental scientists must be consulted when selecting sites for wave power generation to ensure that local wildlife is disturbed as little as possible.