Popular Mechanics article on Wave Action Generators

[jiml]

Hello all! I've been lurking for a while. PM had a write up regarding the use of wave action to generate electricity.

Link

Can this be done on a smaller, personal scale? To my feeble mind, it seems that a smaller version would be easy to do with the right knowledge and a little enginuity.

Thanks for any input.

Jim

[jomoco]

Hey there Jiml,

An interesting and somewhat novel approach to generating clean energy by utilizing the tremendous power of ocean waves. I suspect however that the project will be swamped by an even larger wave of red tape and beaurocratic BS before it ever gets a chance to prove itself. Especially here in the U.S. at this time under this administration. It's too bad because I think it would work quite well once the kinks and quirks were worked out.

Anyway, great post, thanks for the link, I hope the project gets off the ground and into the water!

jomoco

[MountainMan]

I think the biggest technical hurdles for something like this would turn out to be the marine environment.  Barnacles and electrolysis and lord knows what else working it's magic to turn any moving parts into non-moving parts and any inadequately protected metal into a pile of rust on the floor of the ocean in short order.

jp

[jiml]

I'm really interested in the possibility of a much smaller scale array in a swimming pool or pond.  Generating waves by using the wind to sway a flat bottomed bouy would be simple.  How could I harness the electricity generated by an array of small magnetic bouys bobbing inside stationary coils?  The technology used in a Nightstar Flashlight comes to mind.

Jim

[ghurd]

http://www.fieldlines.com/story/2005/10/17/45327/314

[Tropical hydro]

Having spent 6yrs living on a yacht, I can assure you that modern technology has tamed the effects of the marine environment considerably. The technical problems and the "idiots driving this bus" are more likely to be any new oceanic projects downfall.

[Tropical hydro]

I've just had a look at the web site.......If the generators actualy do what they say they do then I think they are a winner! Only problem I see is that there seems to be no allowance for the tidal difference. The cables linking the bouys to the sea floor don't allow for large tide differences. Even a meter of tide height difference, would alter the amount these things would move up and down.

I know of places with 6meters of tide. One place(with no waves) has 11meters of tide! That's going to rain on their parade...........