Green Options » wave energy http://greenoptions.com/tag/wave-energy Posts tagged 'wave energy' Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:27:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en Wave Energy Looking for Breakthrough — Using Aerospace Design http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/21/wave-energy-looking-for-breakthrough-aerospace-design/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/21/wave-energy-looking-for-breakthrough-aerospace-design/#comments Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:27:49 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/21/wave-energy-looking-for-breakthrough-aerospace-design/
The oceans seem like a great potential source for clean energy. The force of the waves, the constancy, the size of the oceans — it all seems like something that could produce energy for humans without much harm. (I still have some concerns, though it seems like one of the best options these days). Some of the major problems with utilizing the force of the oceans, however, have been how to survive storms, the need to be anchored to the see floor, and efficiency.

Researchers from the US Air Force Academy have a new, outside-the-box idea for dealing with these problems — use an aerospace approach.

This is yet to be developed to full-scale and tested in that form, but early computer and model-scale tests are showing higher efficiencies than wind turbines, according to the National Science Foundation (NSF).

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/21/wave-energy-looking-for-breakthrough-aerospace-design/feed/ WaveRoller Uses Swinging Door for Underwater Wave Energy http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/02/waveroller-uses-swinging-door-for-underwater-wave-energy/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/02/waveroller-uses-swinging-door-for-underwater-wave-energy/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:01:47 +0000 Susan Kraemer http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/02/waveroller-uses-swinging-door-for-underwater-wave-energy/
The simplest ideas are best at harnessing underwater wave energy. You don’t want lots of parts in the harsh marine environment (for machine parts) under the ocean. Here’s an idea from a diver from Finland who was almost hit in the head by a shipwreck door that inspired this invention: the WaveRoller.

Now the EU is funding the diver; Rauno Koivusaari, with $4.4 million for his company AW-Energy to build the first full scale demo of his invention.

Each one at full size weighs 20 tons and produces 300 KW.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/02/waveroller-uses-swinging-door-for-underwater-wave-energy/feed/ WindSentinel from Catch the Wind Could Cut the Cost of Siting New Offshore Wind Turbines http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/02/windsentinel-from-catch-the-wind-could-cut-the-cost-of-siting-new-offshore-wind-turbines/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/02/windsentinel-from-catch-the-wind-could-cut-the-cost-of-siting-new-offshore-wind-turbines/#comments Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:53:51 +0000 Tina Casey http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/02/windsentinel-from-catch-the-wind-could-cut-the-cost-of-siting-new-offshore-wind-turbines/ Offshore wind turbines could be sited more quickly and cheaply with high tech, low cost floating WindSentinel wind sensor.

Catch the Wind Ltd. of Virginia has just announced that its new Vindicator laser wind sensor has been deployed on a specialized buoy for a field test off Race Rocks Island in British Columbia.   If successful, the laser sensor would be part of the world’s first buoy-based wind power assessment system, which could shave millions off the cost of assessing conditions at potential sites for offshore wind turbines.

Conventional site assessments for large scale wind farms are done through the construction of a permanent offshore tower, which can cost up to $10 million.  Catch the Wind’s movable buoy-based system, called the WindSentinel, could virtually eliminate that expense and help open up sustainable offshore wind power to small communities, military bases, and other modestly scaled projects.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/11/02/windsentinel-from-catch-the-wind-could-cut-the-cost-of-siting-new-offshore-wind-turbines/feed/ Underwater Kite Harnesses Ocean Energy http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/23/underwater-kite-harnesses-ocean-energy/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/23/underwater-kite-harnesses-ocean-energy/#comments Sat, 24 Oct 2009 02:20:08 +0000 Susan Kraemer http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/23/underwater-kite-harnesses-ocean-energy/
A completely new concept of underwater wave energy using a simple 7 ton kite turbine design has been developed by Minesto; which is a spinoff from the Swedish military and aircraft design firm Saab. The Deep Green underwater turbine captures the power of the ocean just like a kite in wind.

The system could generate 18 terawatthours of energy annually, enough to provide nearly 4 million British households with reliably green electricity every year. UK households now use about a third of what average US households use in energy.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/23/underwater-kite-harnesses-ocean-energy/feed/ Australia Gets Wave Power Inspired by Oil Rig http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/22/australia-gets-wave-power-inspired-by-oil-rig/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/22/australia-gets-wave-power-inspired-by-oil-rig/#comments Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:59:03 +0000 Susan Kraemer http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/22/australia-gets-wave-power-inspired-by-oil-rig/
Oceanlinx; another Australian wave power company that uses the floating oil rig as the model for its wave power began installation this month of its last test before grid-connecting a 2.5 MW unit off the coast of Port Kembla, near Sydney.

It should be sending power to the Australian grid early next year. Unusually, for wave power concepts, this converts the energy of ocean swells under the platform into air pressure which turns a wind turbine. The company’s previous demo in 2007 proved it works.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/22/australia-gets-wave-power-inspired-by-oil-rig/feed/ Oceanworks Plan to Build San Diego Airport on the Pacific Ocean http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/22/oceanworks-plan-to-build-san-diego-airport-on-the-pacific-ocean/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/22/oceanworks-plan-to-build-san-diego-airport-on-the-pacific-ocean/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:42:17 +0000 Susan Kraemer http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/22/oceanworks-plan-to-build-san-diego-airport-on-the-pacific-ocean/
OceanWorksDevelopment; a group of 40 architects and planners has come up with a pretty wild and grandiose (or brilliant and visionary) solution to San Diego’s siting problems for its much needed new airport. Float the entire thing off-shore.

How serious are they? In a legally unprecedented move, OceanWorks CEO Adam Englund has booked the 40,000 square mile space on the Pacific with this claim holding “airport rights”.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/22/oceanworks-plan-to-build-san-diego-airport-on-the-pacific-ocean/feed/ Reliable Wave Power Ensures Secure Terrorism Protection http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/18/reliable-wave-power-ensures-secure-terrorism-protection/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/18/reliable-wave-power-ensures-secure-terrorism-protection/#comments Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:38:07 +0000 Susan Kraemer http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/18/reliable-wave-power-ensures-secure-terrorism-protection/
Underwater surveillance requires a certain supply of persistent power around the coasts, harbors, piers and offshore areas of this nation. Wave energy provides that certainty and reliability because nothing stops the supply chain of power from the roiling sea.

So the US Navy just awarded Lockheed Martin and Ocean Power Technologies a $15 million 4 year contract to provide wave power for terrorism prevention around the coasts. The collaboration holds the promise for finally bringing utility scale wave power to civilian use as well: there’s 2 Terawatts of wave energy potential around the world’s coasts. Twice what the entire world uses now.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/18/reliable-wave-power-ensures-secure-terrorism-protection/feed/ Principle Power’s WindFloat to Perform First Inter-Energy Marriage http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/18/principle-powers-windfloat-to-perform-first-inter-energy-marriage/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/18/principle-powers-windfloat-to-perform-first-inter-energy-marriage/#comments Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:55:32 +0000 Tina Casey http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/18/principle-powers-windfloat-to-perform-first-inter-energy-marriage/ Principle Power, Inc.\'s WindFloat wind turbine platforms may be adapted for wave power, too.Somewhere in the U.S. there is a justice of the peace who still refuses to perform inter-racial marriages, but Principle Power, Inc. has no such backward looking qualms when it comes marrying two different forms of sustainable energy.  Last week the company won a $750,000 development grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to adapt its patented WindFloat platform to bring wave energy generating capability on board, along with the wind turbines for which it was originally designed.

Of particular interest to DOE is WindFloat’s innovative three-corner design, which stabilizes the platform against turbulence and enables it to be deployed in deep water where winds are more favorable to energy generation.  In addition to its obvious use in the civilian world, the marriage of wind and wave power may also prove fruitful for its application to the U.S. military’s need for non-petroleum energy sources at remote bases.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/18/principle-powers-windfloat-to-perform-first-inter-energy-marriage/feed/ Renew Blue Uses Ocean to Desalinate Itself http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/16/renew-blue-uses-ocean-to-desalinate-itself/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/16/renew-blue-uses-ocean-to-desalinate-itself/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:37:09 +0000 Tina Casey http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/16/renew-blue-uses-ocean-to-desalinate-itself/ Ocean waves will power a new desalination plant in Texas.In an elegant piece of sustainable engineering, the company Renew Blue, Inc. will use wave power to run a desalination plant in Freeport, Texas, then bottle the results in corn-based biodegradable plastic for sale under the Renew Blue brand.  The wave power system, called SEADOG, will employ a buoy-and-piston mechanism combined with a water wheel to generate electricity at an offshore platform, enough to power operations at the plant.

Though disposable bottled water is a thorn in the side of sustainability, the reality is that disposable bottles will be with us, at least for some limited uses, far into the foreseeable future.  The Renew Blue solution offers a way to provide the convenience with a lower carbon footprint.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/16/renew-blue-uses-ocean-to-desalinate-itself/feed/ $4.4 Million for WAVE Energy Project in Europe http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/08/44-million-for-wave-energy-project-in-europe/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/08/44-million-for-wave-energy-project-in-europe/#comments Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:17:40 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/08/44-million-for-wave-energy-project-in-europe/

Solar Energy. Wind Energy. Now, Wave Energy. Reminds me of Captain Planet.

A Finnish company, AW-Energy, recently signed a $4.4 million (€3 million) contract with the European Union (EU) to implement WaveRoller (wave energy) technology in Portuguese waters. This looks interesting. The location for the project is near a town deemed to be “capital of the waves.”

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/08/44-million-for-wave-energy-project-in-europe/feed/ New “Wave Energy” Fund in UK http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/23/new-wave-energy-fund-in-uk/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/23/new-wave-energy-fund-in-uk/#comments Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:19:34 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/23/new-wave-energy-fund-in-uk/

A new energy fund in the UK is looking to improve wave and tidal energy technologies and help put them into use. The new Marine Renewables Proving Fund contains about $36 million worth of new grants.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/23/new-wave-energy-fund-in-uk/feed/ ‘Oyster’ Could Be the Secret to Harnessing the Ocean http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/03/oyster-could-be-the-secret-to-harnessing-the-ocean/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/03/oyster-could-be-the-secret-to-harnessing-the-ocean/#comments Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:36:09 +0000 Ruedigar Matthes http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/03/oyster-could-be-the-secret-to-harnessing-the-ocean/

There is a new force on the wave-energy front. It’s called the Oyster. If it is successful in its debut this autumn, it could change the face of wave energy forever. You see, this giant electricity producing machine is different from conventional wave-energy machines. And those differences could make it extremely marketable.

The Oyster is unlike other wave power devices in that it uses hydraulic technology to transfer wave power to the shore to be converted into electricity. The machine has an 18m wide oscillator, which Dr. Ronan Doherty, Chief Technical Officer of Aquamarine Power the Edinburgh based company which has developed the first ‘Oyster’, says is a key to the machine’s design. The oscillator is fitted with pistons, which work according to wave action. The pistons pump high-pressure water through sub-sea pipelines to shore, where traditional hydro-electric generators use the high-pressure water to create electricity.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/03/oyster-could-be-the-secret-to-harnessing-the-ocean/feed/ Renewable Energy on the Rise, Fossil Fuels Declining http://cleantechnica.com/2009/07/30/renewable-energy-on-the-rise-fossil-fuels-declining/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/07/30/renewable-energy-on-the-rise-fossil-fuels-declining/#comments Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:45:43 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/07/30/renewable-energy-on-the-rise-fossil-fuels-declining/

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported good news for renewable energy enthusiasts this week. Energy from renewable resources has increased significantly over the last year. It is now higher than energy produced from nuclear power.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/07/30/renewable-energy-on-the-rise-fossil-fuels-declining/feed/ Eco-Docks Designed to Float in NYC’s Nasty Rivers http://cleantechnica.com/2009/07/30/eco-docks-designed-to-float-in-nycs-nasty-rivers/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/07/30/eco-docks-designed-to-float-in-nycs-nasty-rivers/#comments Thu, 30 Jul 2009 08:11:32 +0000 Bryan Nelson http://cleantechnica.com/2009/07/30/eco-docks-designed-to-float-in-nycs-nasty-rivers/ Eco-docks

A professor and student team have designed a network of modular floating docks to harness clean energy for New York City.

The eco-docks would generate the energy by harnessing tidal power from the city’s rivers; they should also help to add much needed green space above the dirty waters.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/07/30/eco-docks-designed-to-float-in-nycs-nasty-rivers/feed/ Irish Tube Compressor: Wave Energy Breakthrough or Pipe Dream? http://cleantechnica.com/2009/05/20/irish-tube-compressor-wave-energy-breakthrough-pipe-dream/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/05/20/irish-tube-compressor-wave-energy-breakthrough-pipe-dream/#comments Wed, 20 May 2009 17:46:22 +0000 Derek Markham http://cleantechnica.com/2009/05/20/irish-tube-compressor-wave-energy-breakthrough-pipe-dream/ Irish Tube Compressor

A new method of harvesting wave energy, the Irish Tube Compressor, is under development by the Dublin company JOSPA, which hopes to demonstrate superior performance in sustainable electricity production with their device.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/05/20/irish-tube-compressor-wave-energy-breakthrough-pipe-dream/feed/ Portugal’s Pelamis Wave Power Project Killed http://cleantechnica.com/2009/03/17/portugals-pelamis-wave-power-project-killed/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/03/17/portugals-pelamis-wave-power-project-killed/#comments Tue, 17 Mar 2009 23:54:00 +0000 Ariel Schwartz http://cleantechnica.com/2009/03/17/portugals-pelamis-wave-power-project-killed/

We were pretty excited about Pelamis’ wave power plan in Portugal., but not every technology written about here pans out in the end. Pelamis’ €9 million Aguacadora wave power project–the world’s largest–has been taken offline due to numerous technological and financial setbacks.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/03/17/portugals-pelamis-wave-power-project-killed/feed/ Lockheed Martin: National Security = Renewable Energy http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/03/16/lockheed-martin-national-securityrenewable-energy/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/03/16/lockheed-martin-national-securityrenewable-energy/#comments Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:51:42 +0000 Jennifer Lance http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/03/16/lockheed-martin-national-securityrenewable-energy/ National security=renewable energy

National security is big business, and no one has benefited more than Lockheed Martin. Approximately $105 from each US taxpayer goes to Lockheed Martin.  From defense contracts to supporting the invasion of Iraq, Lockheed Martin is in deep with the US government’s priority of national security.

Recently, Lockheed Martin announced that increasing the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies is just as important to national security as building fighter jets.

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/03/16/lockheed-martin-national-securityrenewable-energy/feed/ Wave Energy to Bring Power and Jobs to San Francisco http://cleantechnica.com/2009/02/27/wave-energy-to-bring-power-and-jobs-to-san-francisco/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/02/27/wave-energy-to-bring-power-and-jobs-to-san-francisco/#comments Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:05:15 +0000 Gavin Newsom http://cleantechnica.com/2009/02/27/wave-energy-to-bring-power-and-jobs-to-san-francisco/ wave energy

Editors Note: This is a guest post by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. See his last post for us on EV charging stations on Gas 2.0.

Today, San Francisco took a meaningful step toward turning the promise of renewable ocean energy into reality. We submitted a preliminary permit application to the federal government to develop a wave power project off our coast that we believe can generate between 10 to 30 megawatts of energy, with potential of up to 100 megawatts. When this project is fully operational, upwards of 100 jobs could be created in San Francisco.

Ocean power is a true “game changer” in the area of renewable energy. When wave and tidal power technologies reach commercial scale, they are expected to be able to provide thousands of megawatts of power to our coastal communities, dramatically green our energy portfolios and create thousands of new American jobs. In San Francisco, we’ve been doing our part to spur these technologies by aggressively advancing tidal and wave power pilot projects.  We are 100% committed to this challenge.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/02/27/wave-energy-to-bring-power-and-jobs-to-san-francisco/feed/ San Francisco Mayor Asks Feds for Permission on Major Wave Energy Project http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/02/27/mayor-gavin-newsom-to-announce-a-major-wave-energy-project-off-the-coast-of-san-francisco/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/02/27/mayor-gavin-newsom-to-announce-a-major-wave-energy-project-off-the-coast-of-san-francisco/#comments Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:57:11 +0000 Reenita Malhotra http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/02/27/mayor-gavin-newsom-to-announce-a-major-wave-energy-project-off-the-coast-of-san-francisco/

This morning, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced a preliminary permit application sent to the federal government for a wave power project off the coast of California. The project promises to bring wave energy and jobs to the Bay Area.

Power generated from ocean waves has been recognized to be a cleaner, safer, more efficient answer to our energy needs. When the wind blows with enough consistency and force to provide strong and continuous ocean waves, a tremendous energy can be created. Wave power devices extract energy directly from the surface motion of ocean waves or from pressure fluctuations below the surface. Wave technologies are typically designed to be installed in nearshore, offshore, and far offshore locations.

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]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/02/27/mayor-gavin-newsom-to-announce-a-major-wave-energy-project-off-the-coast-of-san-francisco/feed/ Wave Energy Development and Marine Reserves http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2008/11/24/wave-energy-development-and-marine-reserves/ http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2008/11/24/wave-energy-development-and-marine-reserves/#comments Mon, 24 Nov 2008 08:00:27 +0000 Stuart Stein http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2008/11/24/wave-energy-development-and-marine-reserves/ I am a commissioner on the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission, an industry-funded agency and part of the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Commodity Commission Program. Among our other responsibilities to the fishing fleet, we have been charged with the enhancement of the image of the Dungeness crab industry, and to increase opportunities for profitability through promotion, education and research.

An additional requirement is the sustainability of the industry as a whole. The Oregon Dungeness crab fishery is one of the most sustainable fisheries and the most valuable ’single-species’ fishery in Oregon. The issues of Wave Energy development along with the proposed Marine Reserves off of the Oregon coast have prompted the fishing industries to make sure our concerns are heard and taken into account.

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