Direct Drive Power Buoy

78772 Wave energy is a vast resource that should be included in the mix of energy resources serving the public. It offers the benefits of most renewable resources: no dependence on costly fuels of limited supply, no effluent, little impact on animal and plant habitat and, when located off shore, little impact on recreation or scenic beauty. This project will develop a high efficiency, direct drive, off-shore buoy that generates electrical power from ocean waves. The underlying premise is that the lowest cost of energy can be achieved by putting the generator in the location of highest potential wave energy (off-shore) and by using a generation system that has the least number of conversion steps and the highest possible efficiency (direct drive). In Phase I, the best of three innovative direct drive generation systems for an off shore power buoy will be evaluated and selected. Then, a proof-of-concept prototype will be fabricated, tested, in a real wave environment, and evaluated as to cost, reliability, maintenability, environmental impact, and other pertinent criteria. The balance-of-plant will also be analyzed to estimate total cost of energy, along with siting and environmental impacts. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: 70 percent of the world's population lives within 200 miles of the shore. Also, because generation would be the highest in the winter, matching electrical demand in temperate zones, wave generation is consistent with the fundamental requirements of the public utility. Waves generally have an energy density several orders of magnitude higher than certain other renewables, such as wind and solar radiation, so less surface area and component material should be necessary, leading to lower environmental impact and cost.