US scientists convert ocean waves into electricity

US researchers successfully converted simulated ocean waves into electric power using a Cycloidal Wave Energy Converter (CycWEC). Atargis Energy Corporation scientists used a 1:10 scale model that delivered 370 W of electric power from the incoming wave at the Texas A&M Offshore Technology Research Center in College Station, Texas.

Atargis’s CycWEC is the first converter to produce electricity this way. The corporation will produce a full scale ocean prototype with a design power of 5MW, which should be enough to power more than 3000 average US households.

Atargis Energy said: “A CycWEC uses hydrofoils that create lift in order to interact efficiently with incoming ocean waves, and produces rotational shaft power that can directly drive a conventional generator.”

The converter operates fully submerged and can be shut down by feathering the hydrofoils to avoid damage in a storm.

Atargis Energy plans to make design adjustments for their ocean prototype at 1:4 scale that is scheduled for testing in 2014.