Wave energy is referred to the energy transported by wind waves, which power can be extracted and converted into electricity or pressurized water. Wave power comes from the up-down movement of the water (potential energy) or the water movement beneath them (kinetic energy). Wave energy is always present in any water body, being a promising source of clean energy anywhere in the globe: waves are ubiquitous and present 24/7 all year-round. Global wave energy potential is estimated on 2.11TW, with 427GW available at North and Central America coasts, and 374GW in South America coastlines (Gunn & Stock-Williams, 2012).

Today, wave energy converter technologies (WECs) are at different development stages, having a vast range of concepts and formats, as well as energy capture and generation possibilities. It is worth mentioning that these devices must operate under a wide range of environmental conditions, including natural hazards like storms and tsunami, and therefore survivability is one of their main challenges, in which understanding local conditions plays a significant role. The Ocean Energy Systems, international working group part of the International Energy Agency, suggests a technological classification for WECs: attenuators, overtopping, oscillating water column, oscillating wave surge converters, point absorbers, and other concepts [2]. Depending on the scale and functionality, WECs could potentially deliver energy to an electrical network, or otherwise be the source of clean energy and/or freshwater at open ocean, triggering and supporting community and industrial development where these resources are scarce.

Research Institutes in Pan-America

• Energía Marina SpA y MERIC, Chile
• Offshore Renewable Energy Group (GERO), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Pacific Regional Institute for Marine Energy Discovery, Canada
• Fundy Energy Research Network, Canada
• Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Costa Rica
• Universidad Autónoma de México, Mexico
• Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada, México
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory, USA

Note: If you would like to see your research center in this list, please let us know by contacting us via email to tattiana@pamec.energy.

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References

[1] Gunn, K., & Stock-Williams, C. (2012). Quantifying the global wave power resource. Renewable Energy, 44, 296-304.

[2] Ocean Energy Systems (2017), OES Vision for International Deployment of Ocean Energy, https://www.ocean-energy-systems.org/documents/24845-oes-vision-2017.pdf/

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