This yellow device is a point absorber buoy, designed to capture the up-and-down motion of ocean waves and convert it into electricity. The buoy is anchored to the seabed with a tensioned mooring system and connects to the power grid through a series of underwater export cables.
What is wave energy?
Wave energy is a type of renewable energy that is generated from the movement of ocean waves. Waves form as wind blows over the surface of open water, transferring energy to the water through friction. This energy causes the water to move in small ripples that eventually grow into larger waves. Wave energy devices are used to capture the kinetic and potential energy stored in waves and convert it into usable electricity.
What is kinetic energy?
Kinetic energy is the energy an object has due to its motion. The ocean is a strong source of kinetic energy because of the consistent motion of waves, tides, and currents.
What is potential energy?
Potential energy is the stored energy an object has because of its position or condition. When a wave rises, water is lifted against gravity, creating potential energy. As the wave moves and falls, this stored energy is converted into kinetic energy.
Wave energy systems use specialized devices placed in the ocean or other large water bodies to convert wave energy into electricity. These devices are often referred to as wave energy devices (WEDs) or wave energy converters (WECs). There are many methods and technologies under development for capturing and converting wave energy. These methods often include placing devices on or below the surface of the water and anchoring devices to the ocean floor. Two common types of wave energy devices are point absorbers and attenuators:
- Point absorbers are buoy-like devices that move up and down, converting the vertical motion of waves into electricity through hydraulic or mechanical systems.
- Attenuators, sometimes called linear absorbers, are long floating devices that are placed parallel to the direction of waves. As they flex with the motion of the waves, they convert the wave energy into electricity.
Learn more about wave energy technologies
Wave Energy in Oregon
The potential wave energy resource is very strong along the West Coast. Studies have shown that Oregon alone has enough available wave energy within the inner continental shelf to power about 28 million homes each year (See ODOE – Marine Hydrokinetic Energy).
Oregon State University, in collaboration with other West Coast Universities through the Pacific Marine Energy Center (PMEC), has been a global leader in the research and development of wave energy and other marine renewables. Learn more about PMEC’s current research projects.
In 2016, Oregon State was awarded $35 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop an open-ocean wave energy test facility, now called PacWave. The PacWave project includes two test sites, PacWave North and PacWave South, located off the Oregon coast near Newport.
PacWave South will be the first open-ocean, grid-connected wave energy test facility in the continental United States. The test site is located 7 miles off the coast in federal waters. PacWave South will serve as a standardized testing facility, allowing wave energy developers to assess the performance, efficiency, and commercial viability of their wave energy devices.
PacWave offers a unique opportunity to learn about the long-term environmental effects of wave energy devices through ongoing biological surveying. The research conducted at PacWave will help inform future environmental monitoring and permitting processes for commercial scale wave energy developments.
PacWave Resources
- Frequently Asked Questions – PacWave
- Construction Updates – PacWave
- Data & Monitoring - PacWave
- PacWave: Offshore Wave Energy Test Site – U.S. Department of Energy