Generating energy from waves has long been somewhat of a pipe dream, but that could all change soon as Hawaii gets set to test a massive new energy generating device. The device comes from an Ireland-based company by the name of Ocean Energy, and its CEO believes that wave energy could supply 10 percent of the world’s electricity needs in the future. Basically, the massive 826-ton “Ocean Buoy” generates energy as water pushes air through a turbine, which causes it to spin and generate electricity. Even as wind and solar power continue to quickly grow and drop in cost, there can still be a role for wave power. For one, waves are nearly constant and power can be generated in all conditions, making it a reliable source of energy. The company says a 100-megawatt wave farm could power more than 18,000 homes. On top of that, the equipment could also be used to power desalination plants, fish farms offshore, or even underwater data centers of the kind that Microsoft is testing (servers generate a lot of heat, so putting them in the ocean is one way to keep them cool). We’ll have to wait and see whether wave energy is truly feasible, but in any case, the upcoming tests in Hawaii shows we’re one step closer to adding another source of renewable energy to the world’s renewable energy mix.
Powering the world through wave energy could soon become a reality
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