Hmm.. sure hope it is.
Okay then. PHYSICS SIA-- WAVE ENERGY! (:
We had started off with merely a load of question marks in our head, wondering what we were supposed to do, where we were supposed to start, what we were supposed to end up with...
And when we finally did decide to start on our project, we still didn't have any of the answers to those questions anyway. We just started because our conscience and the fact that our physics marks were at stake were beckoning us to start; so we did.
The very first big leap we took was forming the agenda for our online journal / weblog. After we crafted what we were going to include, we went on adding posts with information on wave energy, step at a time (:
Thus, we now see that our blog includes an introduction to wave energy, a few physics principles and theories of wave energy, some devices used to harness wave energy and often, convert it into electrical energy, common uses of this wave energy, the general advantages and disadvantages of using wave energy as an energy source, and lastly a case study on 1 country (or so we intended to).
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But of course it is apparent that our 6th point had been revised, due to the fact that we could not find information for wave energy usage for a specific country. Our sixth point is instead a case study on a particular wave power generator, and we closely relate this case study to the physics principles mentioned in an earlier post (point number 2).
If we were to give a summary of all the points,
...
it would take forever. No, honestly.
But we'll still give a summary anyway. (on the main areas of study in this broad topic)
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1) Introduction to wave energy
--> Waves are created by the progressive transfer of energy from wind currents passing over the surface of the ocean.
--> Large waves are generally more powerful. Its power can be determined by wave height, wave speed, wavelength, and water density.
--> Wave power refers to the energy of ocean surface waves and the capture of that energy to do useful work - including electricity generation, desalination, and the pumping of water (into reservoirs).
--> Wave power is a form of renewable energy and is generally rather pollution-free.
2) Physics principles and theories of wave energy (process of harnessing wave energy; conversion of forms of energy)
--> Wave energy, is created by natural conversion of part of the wind energy above the oceans. Wind energy is created by natural conversion of part of solar energy. By heating air, the sun creates winds (This is because warmer air rises up while cooler air falls due to the difference in density). The winds blowing along the water surface create waves. Wind pressure pushes down wave troughs and lifts up wave crests.
--> Bernoulli's principle states that as the speed of a moving fluid is directly proportional to the pressure within the fluid.
--> Ocean waves encompass two forms of energy: the kinetic energy of the water particles, that in general follow circular paths; and the potential energy of elevated water particles. On the average, the kinetic energy in a linear wave equals its potential energy. This, essentially, illustrates the principle of conservation of energy, that energy can be converted from one form to another, and cannot be destroyed nor created.
--> The energy flux (rate of flow of fluid / particles / energy through a given surface) in a wave is proportional to the square of the amplitude and to the period of the motion.
3) Devices used to harness wave energy and often, convert it into electrical energy
--> terminator devices, oscillating water column, point absorber, attenuators, overtopping devices, seagoing vessels, heaving devices, pitching devices, surging devices.
--> An economically viable design with a simple geometrical construction but strong enough to withstand against the waves with different heights and different wave periods and directions is essential.
4) Uses of wave energy (How it helps in carrying out business within the industry)
--> There has been research into potential uses for wave energy other than electricity, most notably desalinization and hydrogen generation.
--> The electricity generated using wave power is usually used to run large factories and companies, which may otherwise cause the depletion of fossil fuels that are non-renewable. Otherwise, the generated electricity may also be supplied to households in order to power appliances used in daily life, as well as effectively reduce the already large amount of carbon emissions that the particular country is giving out. This an effort to reduce the harm we are doing on Mother Earth can help save up to 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.
--> Electrolysis is currently the most viable means of producing hydrogen from any of the four alternative energy sources. Electrolysis involves the dissociation of water into hydrogen and oxygen by passing a current (generated by wave energy) through an electrochemical cell, and has been available commercially for decades
--> The panel motion is coupled by a connecting rod to a fluid pump which generates a high-pressure fluid output that may be used to drive a reverse osmosis desalination unit or to produce other useful work. Seawater or brackish water may be desalinated through reverse osmosis membranes to produce water quality for consumption, agricultural, or other uses. The pump may be of the positive-displacement piston type, plunger type, or multi-staging driver type, or a variable volume pump.
5) General advantages and disadvantages of using wave energy as an energy source (further improvements to be made to the level of efficiency of harnessing the energy of waves to generate electricity and numerous other uses)
--> Little to no chemical pollution during operation and little to no land use
--> Is a renewable and highly sustainable non-nuclear source of energy (green energy); wave energy is naturally replenished, in a sense that they cannot 'run-out'.
--> predictable and dependable (wave power spectrum, can be determined beforehand)
--> many ideal locations in Europe, North and South America, Africa, South Pacific Ocean and Asia where high power densities exist close to highly populated areas
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IMPORTANT:
As we come to the end of our series of posts on this online journal regarding the power of waves, a simple conclusion can be drawn... that there is indeed a great possibility that wave energy will be one of our essential energy sources in the future. Considering the fact that global warming, ozone layer depletion and so on have been a worry to us ever since so many decades ago, the potential of wave energy and other 'green-energy' sources will definitely be maximised. Besides being environmentally-friendly, wave energy is a renewable source, thus the problem of 'limited energy resources' can probably be eliminated and ignored. Wave energy plays a major role in the world's efforts to prevent climate change.
Water, being almost 800 times denser than air, would also allow wave power generators to yield much more energy than, for instance, wind power generators, thus satisfying the overwhelming needs of our growing population, economy and commercial industry. At the moment, harnessing this energy may pose a considerable problem due to certain technological limitations, but with the advancement of mankind as well as science and technology, very soon, the use of such renewable energy sources will be possible, and the dream of a greener, less-polluted-than-ever-before Earth will be realised..
