The ‘wave’ of the future -Ocean Wave Energy
Are you staying awake at night weighing the pros and cons of what different renewable energy solutions are best to invest in? Many leaders in the world are like you, trying to pick solutions that will take us into the next generation of energy production, free us from pollution, and provide an alternative to fossil fuels. At Inerjy, we are convinced that Ocean Wave Energy is a key resource—prime for tapping.
Studies have concluded that the energy contained in relatively small areas of the ocean’s waves could power entire populations near coastlines worldwide. The challenge is to harness that power in methods competitive with other state-of-the-art renewable technologies.
- Solar and traditional wind power are proven technologies being engineered for lower cost, reliability, and “plant” size generating solutions
- Wave power provides another strong source of energy, but is further behind the engineering curve
- This problem is too serious to allow one or two solutions to receive all the research and engineering resources. We must have alternatives where the energy sources are large.
- Wave power is the missing link in the triad of renewable energy: Wind, Solar, and Wave
At Inerjy, we have developed and are currently testing our WaveTork™ wave energy converter: a machine designed to be an offshore wind turbine alternative that reduces the exposure to extreme conditions. WaveTork™ efficiently converts potential energy from waves directly into electricity without hydraulics, compressed air, or pumping water like other concepts. These intermediate energy conversion steps add complexity and reduce both efficiency and reliability.
Why Wave energy you ask?:
- It’s always there at some low level, reliable and predictable
- Because it is predictable, power managers will be able to add or shed sources based on predicted outputs
- Wave power is generally more abundant in winter when solar is reduced in the Northern Hemisphere
- Most coastal population sources are near excellent sites for WaveTork™ ocean wave energy converters
- The visual impact of ocean power generation is significantly less than for solar or wind
- Wave Energy Converters are less susceptible to damage from major storms than offshore wind turbines
And why read on to learn more about WaveTork?
Consider these key features that will make WaveTork™ a competitive renewable energy solution:
- WaveTork™ efficiently converts potential energy from waves directly into electricity without hydraulics, compressed air, or pumping water like other concepts
- Our concept is fully ocean tested on a small (<1kW scale) and ready for scale-up to 100+kW in 2009
- Reliability designed in from the start is incomparable to other solutions
- Engineered and optimized for small to medium wave energy environments, like the East Coast of the USA
- Materials optimization from concept through execution ensures a cost-effective solution
- Simple tethering scenarios allow deployment in a variety of depth and topographical environments
A few companies are in various stages of commercializing their wave energy conversion technologies. We applaud these leaders as we work to bring a solution tailored specifically to lower-density wave climates than those ahead of us. WaveTork™ brings an entirely new and novel approach based on state-of-the-art power transmission technology to the renewable energy industry. This technology is currently successfully deployed in the lumber, construction equipment, and auto racing industries.
Please contact us if you want to learn more about WaveTork™ and how it will change the rules of ocean energy. WaveTork™ works best in a small to medium wave energy environment so please let us know the details of your resource.
