Advantages and Disadvantages of Wave energy

Wave Energy - A steadier Renewable energy than Wind 

Waves are increasingly generated in oceans and large lakes; at times the waves are strong enough to overturn large ships or toss them ashore.

Gravitational attraction of the sun and the moon as well as the force of wind are mainly responsible for the wave being created. Oceans are efficient collectors of wind energy; indeed waves are a source of energy steadier than the wind, because once wind generates a wave, the latter conveys the energy it had derived from the wind over immense distances with only moderate dissipation. It is another matter that wind energy has always proved far more easier to harness than wave energy. Wave energy may vary from a few watts to kilowatts per meter which is fluxed in the open sea or against coasts . Greatest power is achieved in winter and smallest in the summer, mainly in the zones of the prevailing westerlies and trade winds. 

Both vertical as well as horizontal movement of the water contributes to wave energy. Every particle of water experiences almost a circular motion moving up and down reaching the crests and troughs.  

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Wave energy Advantages and Disadvantages 

Advantages 

1. Wave energy has this advantage over solar or wind energy that the energy has been naturally concentrated by accumulation over time and space and transported from the point at which it was originally present in the winds. 

2. A much greater amount of power is concentrated in the waves than in the wind. If we compare the power concentrated in a good wind energy to the corresponding area having wave energy then we will find that wave energy is 100 times greater than wind energy.

3. It is a free and renewable energy source. 

4. Wave power devices do not need huge land masses like solar energy wind energy. 

5. These devices are almost pollution-free. After removing the energy from the waves waters are left in a placid state.

6. No wastes or greenhouse gases are produced in the process. In my opinion this is the most important advantage of wave energy. 

Disadvantages 

1. The major demerit of wave energy, in comparison to wind, is that the energy is available in the ocean. So the equipment needed for the extraction of wave energy must operate in a marine environment. The lifetime and reliability is a great factor which should be taken care while constructing the equipment. The transportation of energy is a great factor because the energy produced needed to be transferred to a great distance from the shore. 

2. Wave energy converters must be capable of withstanding very severe peak stresses in storms. 

3.  Finding a proper site for the extraction of energy from the wave is pretty tough because wave energy is totally related to ocean! 

4. Devices needed for the harnessing of the wave energy are very complicated.  

5. Many economic factors are important in the installation of a wave energy based power plant. These factors are capital, maintenance cost, repair cost as well as replacement cost. For the power generation companies economic factors can play as the major disadvantage of wave energy.

For a better and green house effect free world, renewable energy sources are the most preferable option. So after going through the advantages and disadvantages of wave energy the leaders of the world, power generation companies along with engineers should take some initiative to make the best use of wave energy.

image source: http://www.our-energy.com/ocean_energy.html

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