Post2: Wave power

Wave power and Tidal power

1. How waves are formed?

     There are many ways to make waves, but I would like to introduced only one of them here. One way is related to the flow of air,or we call it "wind". When wind flows beyond the surface of sea, the upper layer of sea water is moved by the wind, and then the waves spread along the direction at which the wind flows.(picture 1) If these words is too abstract to understand, let me show you a image. Consider a cup of tea on your desk, when you blow your tea to cool it down, you will notice there are some little wimples in the cup. This situation is similar to the form of waves I just mentioned.

    Actually, most of the waves paticipating in wave power generation is constructed through the way I mentioned in the first paragraph.

 (If you want to know how waves actually are formed, then you can take a look at http://library.thinkquest.org/03oct/01428/waves1en.html)

 

                                                 picture 1

 

2. Wave power plants

     Wave power plants transform the kinectic or the work done by the gravitational force into other forms of energy. Next, the energy will make the generator run and then generates electricity. The pictures below are example of wave power plants. Although they might be different to each other, they all function by a commom princinple.  

 

                                        waves             generator       electricity

 picture 2

 

 

 

 We can find out that this kind of worm-like

 wave power generator is quite big.

 

 

 

 

 

 

                        picture 3

 

 

picture 4

 Isn't it a cool design which uses waves to set pumps into action?

                                    This video introduces another kind of wave energy plant.

 3. Where does waves power come from?

      The answer to this question is sun. When the atmosphere is heated up by sun, some part of air is hotter than other part of air. Since hot air has a lower density than cool air, air starts to flow. The flow of air is wind, and wind causes waves. Thus, the source of wave power is our mighty sun!!!




Reference: pic.1    http://www.ne.t.kyoto-u.ac.jp/ja/research/introduction/laboratory/n_energy
                  pic.2    http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/sustainable-earth/11-of-the-fastest-growing-green-jobs
                  pic.3    http://www.windprospect.com/technologies?t=wave_pelamis
                  pic.4    http://www.lamtengchoy.com/main/?item-ppr-wave-energy/show/75/
                  video   Functionality of wave power station developed by Voith Hydro (www.voith.com). Animation produced by Kral GmbH (www.kralgmbh.at).