Ocean Energy Extraction for Sensor Applications

This project researches the feasibility of creating a self-powered buoy system. The technology being investigated is a means of efficiently extracting energy from ocean wave dynamics. The mechanics of ocean waves is such that they contain significant energy in the water motion and pressure changes. If a portion of that energy could be efficiently extracted, it would easily be sufficient to power the sensor systems of various buoys of interest to both the Navy and commercial interests. The goal is to efficiently extract this energy in a robust and reliable manner without unduly affecting the sensor systems being powered or making the buoy more obtrusive than it would otherwise be. Doing this will require attention not only to the mechanical system but the ability to deploy and retrieve the buoy, the ability of the buoy to survive in the ocean environment, the capacity to operate in a wide range of different sea states and to store energy for times when the wave dynamics do not generate sufficient power to meet the requirement. The power requirement for the current system under investigation is 200 Watts averaged over deployment intervals from a few days to a few weeks.