Wave Energy Converters: Engineering Challenges and Opportunities

Why hasn't wave energy technology gone mainstream yet?

We have been hearing about the potential of wave energy converters (WEC) for decades now, but it hasn't gone mainstream in the same way that wind and solar power have in that same period.

I recently had the opportunity to spend some time surfing, and since I am not the world's best surfer I spent a lot of time getting dumped by waves. This made me painfully aware of how powerful waves are, and it got me wondering why wave energy engineers haven't yet been able to turn this source of renewable energy into a cheap and reliable electricity source.

In this video I discuss:
- how waves form
- what are the characteristics of wave energy
- how does wave energy work?
- what kinds of wave energy conversion devices are available
- what are the engineering challenges associated with wave energy converters

I will be following up with interviews with people working in the wave energy industry to get their insights into what the technical challenges have been and what the future of wave energy might look like.

Check out my full wave energy playlist, which has interviews with wave energy researchers, project managers, mechanical engineers and founders of wave energy companies, plus some other interesting videos on the topic from other creators:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJZcg-yztmIbg3nWZhT2KjnA_1NrFj5HX
Footage used:
2:51 Simple harmonic motion Public domain/ user:Evil_saltine
3:45 An OE Buoy designed around the oscillating water column principle. Photo by Ocean Energy Limited, NREL 17873
3:48 Oscillating water column WEC in Port Kembla, Australia. Photo by Oceanlinx, NREL 17208
3:52 Experimental wave tank test. Photo by Yi-Hsiang Yui, NREL 20367
3:54 WET-NZ testing in Oregon. Photo by Northwest Energy Innovations, NREL 25664
3:57 Azura(TM) 20kW point absorber wave energy device prototype in Oahu, Hawai'i. Photo by Northwest Energy Innovations, NREL 46298
3:58 Prototype point absorber near Seattle. Photo by Columbia Power Technologies, NREL 19381
3:59 Wavebob wave energy converter (WEC) oscillating point absorber. Photo by WavebobCo. Louth, NREL 19384
4:00 150 kW PowerBuoy®. Photo by Ocean Power Technologies, NREL 22857
4:03 An OE Buoy designed around the oscillating water column principle. Photo by Ocean Energy Limited, NREL 17874
4:18 Deep water wave Kraaiennest / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
4:28 Eco Wave Power www.ecowavepower.com
4:43 Nemos wave energy converter https://www.nemos.org/waveenergy
4:48 BioWAVE https://bps.energy/

Video editing and animated intro by www.video-gestaltung.de

Видео Wave Energy Converters: Engineering Challenges and Opportunities канала Engineering with Rosie