Wave power technologies

The oceans contain a vast amount of mechanical energy in form of ocean waves and tides. The high density of oscillating water results in high energy densities, making it a favorable form of hydro power. The total U.S. available incident wave energy flux is about 2,300 TWh/yr. The DOE Energy Information Energy (EIA) estimates 2003 hydroelectric generation to be about 270 TWh which is a little more than a tenth of the offshore wave energy flux into the U.S. The fact that good wave and tidal energy resources can be found in close proximity to population centers and technologies being developed to harness the resource have a low visual profile, makes this an attractive source of energy. Recent advances in offshore oil exploration technology and remote management of power generation systems has enabled significant progress in advancing technology development by simple technology transfer. A few systems have made it to full-scale prototype stage allowing experience to be gained from operational aspects which is a critical aspect to develop economic models. However, despite enormous progress over the past 5 years, current and wave power conversion technologies are at an immature stage of development. This is shown by a lack of accepted standards, a wide range of technical approaches and large uncertainties on performance and cost of these systems.