WaveNET has created a new way to generate electricity from waves and is testing it in the rugged waters off Scotland. The arrays have a low profile, are easy to install, and developer Albetern says they can generate far more power per km2 than offshore wind and other types of wave energy. Possible applications are for remote villages, offshore drilling rigs, and salmon farms.
WaveNET is an offshore array-based wave energy converter that uses the motion of waves to generate electricity. The floating structure of the WaveNET is flexible in all directions, and capable of capturing power from the ocean regardless of wave direction and array orientation.
Jetson Green explains how it works.
The units use a standard hydrostatic transmission system to gather the generated hydraulic energy at a central point, and convert it into electrical energy through a “power take-off” module, from where the generated electricity can be transmitted to shore.