Energy from waves

As Copenhaguen gets closed, we're seeing more and more environmental issues in the media.  A lot of great improvement in the energy area is happening. While some old farts still hold on to nuclear energy as "clean", others are going full steam ahead with proven (wind, solar, biogas) and yet to be proven energy sources such as alges, jet streams or waves.

One interesting company I covered already earlier, WinWind,  which is to establish an energy park in the Finnish city of Hamina, producing wind energy to a nearby Google server farm. Another I'd like to cover today. They are AW-Energy.

AW-Energy was established in 2002, but is just now getting the traction from renewable energy hype. Their concept was founded on a notion by a diver. Here's the story from their website:

In 1993, professional diver Rauno Koivusaari was exploring a shipwreck in the Baltic. He was almost hit by a bulkhead door that was flapping slowly back and forth in powerful underwater waves. Most divers have noticed this phenomenon, but Rauno began to wonder if this bottom wave energy could be harnessed. It can – with WaveRoller.

In surface waves or swell, water particles roll in a circular motion. Coming in toward the shore, this energy is squeezed by the reducing depth. Below the surface swell, at a depth half of the length of the swell, the circular rolling motion becomes more elliptical, and at the sea bottom the water particles rock back and forth up to the breaker line.

WaveRoller captures this kinetic energy, using a specially designed bottom-mounted moving wing. The captured energy is converted to electricity using traditional technologies.



 

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