The Wave Dragon wave energy converter

A European Commission video that introduces the Wave Dragon wave energy converter

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• wave
• energy
• power
• ocean
• converter
• marine
• dragon

[rock3tcat]

Why not simply just place the turbines horizontally to face the waves directly?

[larsjohnny]

You could, but the turbine would not turn. You need the pressure over the propeller. Mind that wave are not water moving forward. Water in waves move in a slow circular movement. However, near the coast, where waves have lost most of their energy, waves move fort and back. There are some wave technologies with moving "flaps" developed to utilise this.

[Bosta0102]

Amazing. I hope you can make this work! Why is this superior to a float solution (looks like a plane wing) where waves move the float and let's it generate the power?

[larsjohnny]

I my view wave energy converters that works by the waves moving floaters etc have a number of disadvantages: first they extract energy from extremely power movements and about 5 million times per year. Second they need to be in resonance with waves to work and thus have a relatively narrow bandwidth were it works efficiently. And last but probably most important: when it has to be in resonance to work efficiently it is limited in physical size and thus power output per device.

[larsjohnny]

(continued ...) I doubt not that these technologies will work but I think that O&M cost will be prohibitive. And capital cost, too, with the limited device size profit will be eaten up by investment in subsea cabling and mooring systems.

[dillerfyr]

I love you :-)

[Hypn0tiK1985]

Now imagine a world without power. k thx

[jwallbanger]

@cheesemongler I'm not sure what you mean by that. What I think you mean is that the cost of producing a wind farm is greater than producing a coal, gas or diesel burning power plant that produces the same amount of energy. And that's true, but what you don't realize is that though the initial cost of wind is higher, in the long run it is more profitable and more financially stable, due to the fact that wind is free and fossil fuels are not and are in fact very unpredictable in price and supply.

[cheesemongler]

@jwallbanger it does not produce anymore energy than wind energy, and wind energy produces very little energy

[cheesemongler]

@jwallbanger Oil, coal, and natrual gas produce more energy than renerable energy equipment

[cheesemongler]

@JohnCBriggs the cost of mining fossil fuels is alot more expensive than the equipment for solar energy

[cheesemongler]

@jwallbanger yes but it produces alot less power than something such as nuclear or coal

[cheesemongler]

think about what makes waves: wind; why make wave energy coverters when you can make windmills instead? that have several advantages over wave energy convertors such as cost, maintence, the small area of land it uses etc

[scousieg8]

@:41

[jwallbanger]

@tappakeggaday1 well the price will always be what the market can bear not what's fair to the consumer. that's just basic economics. and the wave dragon works by water sloshing over the side when the waves hit it and then running a turbine on it's way out through a hole in the middle. it obviously it can't work underwater.

there is such a thing however as an underwater heat engine that generates energy by taking advantage of the temperature difference between deep water and surface water.

[jwallbanger]

@JohnCBriggs If someone is actually sending you a bill for the sun's rays that hit your solar panel then I need to know what company that is so I can buy stock. And since you want to split ridiculous hairs like "you object to the oil not the rigs" I'll return the favor and remind you that it's not the solar energy that's expensive it's your solar power equipment.

My point, obviously, is that unlike with unpredictably priced fossil fuels, energy sources like wind, wave and solar are free.

[tappakeggaday1]

@jwallbanger well i think at "first" the cost should be competitive with other forms of fuel but when the structure is paid off and the company is making an actual return on its investment then the cost of the power being generated should be lowered so it saves the consumers money,oceans are vastly deep,would like to see it go vertically from the bottom that way they can harvest more of the energy,kind of like a clothes line for under water