Harnessing Wave And Tidal Energy

Hurricanes and tsunamis have become a major global warming concern in recent years, but a solution for cleaner energy might be hidden in these same waters. Readers will explore humanity’s relationship with waves and tidal energy sources, delving into the world’s biggest tidal range in the Bay of Fundy and voyaging out to open waters where Ceto devices lurk beneath buoys. Fact boxes offer fascinating tidbits to hook even the most reluctant readers and vivid photographs help readers understand complex wave-harnessing technologies with ease. This fact-packed volume will make a splash in any science curriculum!

Engineers’ dreams and fossil energy replacement schemes can come true. Man has been tapping the energy of the sea to provide power for his industries for centuries. Tidal energy combined with that of waves and marine winds rank among those most successfully put the work. Large scale plants are capital intensive but smaller ones, particularly built in China, have proven profitable. Since the initiation of the St Malo project in France, similar projects have gone into active service where methods have been devised to cut down on costs, new types of turbines developed and cost competitiveness considerably improved. Tidal power has enormous potential. The book reviews recent progress in extracting power from the ocean, surveys the history of tidal power harnessing and updates a prior publication by the author.

Wave power is a green energy technology that harnesses a renewable resource. Learn about how this energy technology developed, the risks and rewards of wave power, and whether or not we can ride the waves to solve the energy challenges of the future.

A comprehensive text covering all aspects of wave and tidal energy Wave and Tidal Energy provides a comprehensive and self-contained review of the developing marine renewable energy sector, drawing from the latest research and from the experience of device testing. The book has a twofold objective: to provide an overview of wave and tidal energy suitable for newcomers to the field and to serve as a reference text for advanced study and practice. Including detail on key issues such as resource characterisation, wave and tidal technology, power systems, numerical and physical modelling, environmental impact and policy. The book also includes an up-to-date review of developments worldwide and case studies of selected projects. Key features: A comprehensive and self-contained text covering all aspects of the multidisciplinary fields of wave and tidal energy. Draws upon the latest research in wave and tidal energy and the experience of leading practitioners in numerical and laboratory modelling. Regional developments worldwide are reviewed and representative projects are presented as case studies. Wave and Tidal Energy is an invaluable resource to a wide range of readers, from engineering students to technical managers and policymakers to postgraduate students and researchers.

Hurricanes and tsunamis have become a major global warming concern in recent years, but a solution for cleaner energy might be hidden in these same waters. Readers will explore humanity’s relationship with waves and tidal energy sources, delving into the world’s biggest tidal range in the Bay of Fundy and voyaging out to open waters where Ceto devices lurk beneath buoys. Fact boxes offer fascinating tidbits to hook even the most reluctant readers and vivid photographs help readers understand complex wave-harnessing technologies with ease. This fact-packed volume will make a splash in any science curriculum!

The worldwide potential of electric power generation from marine tidal currents, waves, or offshore winds is enormous. The high load factor resulting from the fluid properties and the predictable resource characteristics make tidal and wave energy resources attractive and advantageous for power generation and advantageous when compared to other renewable energies. The technologies are just beginning to reach technical and economic viability to make them potential commercial power sources in the near future. While only a few small projects currently exist, the technology is advancing rapidly and has huge potential for generating bulk power. Moreover, international treaties related to climate control and dwindling fossil fuel resources have encouraged us to harness energy sustainably from such marine renewable sources. Several demonstrative projects have been scheduled to capture tidal and wave energies. A number of these projects have now reached a relatively mature stage and are close to completion. However, very little is known to the academic world about these technologies beyond the basics of their energy conversion principles. While research emphasis is more towards hydrodynamics and turbine design, very limited activities are witnessed in power conversion interface, control, and power quality aspects. Regarding this emerging and promising area of research, this book aims to present recent results, serving to promote successful marine renewable energies integration to the grid or to standalone microgrids.

Concerns relating to energy supply and climate change have driven renewable energy targets around the world. Marine renewable energy could make a significant contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating the consequences of climate change, while providing a high-technology industry. The conversion of wave and tidal energy into electricity has many advantages. Individual tidal and wave energy devices have been installed and proven, with commercial arrays planned throughout the world. The wave and tidal energy industry has developed rapidly in the past few years; therefore, it seems timely to review current research and map future challenges. Methods to improve understanding of the resource and interactions (between energy extraction, the resource and the environment) are considered, such as resource characterisation (including electricity output), design considerations (e.g., extreme and fatigue loadings) and environmental impacts, at all timescales (ranging from turbulence to decadal) and all spatial scales (from device and array scales to shelf sea scales).

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Offshore Renewable Energy: Ocean Waves, Tides and Offshore Wind" that was published in Energies