A New Paradigm for Ocean Energy Extraction

Votes: 5
Views: 4923

Why?

The existing methods of electric power generation are not enough to meet the increasing demand of electricity. Most of the methods of power generation are either expensive or cause environmental hazards. This led us to think about low cost green technology for electric energy creation.

How does it work?

The high pressure water in the ocean waves is guided into a unidirectional check valve after filtering. This unidirectional check valve opens due to the relative high pressure in the wave crest and it guides the water into an onshore reservoir as shown in the illustration. During wave trough the relative decrease in water pressure closes the check valve and a large amount of sea water is trapped in the reservoir guiding pipes, which will be pushed to the reservoir during the next wave crest. Here kinetic energy is converted into a potential energy which is stored for on-demand applications. The highly pressurized water jet from the reservoir can run a turbine and associated AC generator to power an electric grid.

Advantages over existing electric power generation technologies:

> Energy can be supplied on demand basis and at a reasonable cost
> No intermittency problem as in case of solar and wind power generators
> Easily scalable by deploying more water collectors
> High Energy Return On Investment (EROI) and negligible running cost
> It is suitable for powering small Islands where distribution of electricity is challenging
> Green technology as it does not creates any pollution or environmental hazards
> The scaled down model could be commercialized and can be a solution for home applications at affordable cost
> Regulated power generation irrespective of the variation in sea water turbulence and pressure
> The energy density is more in this case as there is a continuous water supply from the waves

Video

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  • ABOUT THE ENTRANT

  • Name:
    Roy John A G
  • Type of entry:
    team
    Team members:
    Roy John AG
    Tinson Thomas
    Sworu Roy John
  • Profession:
    Engineer/Designer
  • Number of times previously entering contest:
    1
  • Roy's favorite design and analysis tools:
    Google Sketchup, Matlab Simulink, 3Ds Max
  • Roy's hobbies and activities:
    Mechatronics System design
  • Roy belongs to these online communities:
    linkedin
  • Roy is inspired by:
    My inspiration is Mother Nature.
  • Software used for this entry:
    Google Sketchup
  • Patent status:
    none