Abstract
The entire world has today an increase in the energy demand, due to its population growth and a wide use of electrical and electronic devices. But the current electricity generation still depends on fossil fuels in some world areas, affecting the environment and the life’s health on earth.
Background on general needs
In the present, the use of clean energy resources through new or advanced techniques is very important to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainability Development Goals (UNs’ SDGs) and a global objective to a 100% carbon-free electricity.
But some developing countries do not have technological or financial resources to get imported solutions from developed countries. Every location has specific needs and the new technologies must be adaptable for installation aspects, affordable maintenance and control labors, parts change and local work force.
One of the ways to get clean electricity but no yet widely used, is the oceans wave energy. Waves have a theoretical potential energy at all world’s water surface of 29.000 TWh/year (same global demand for electricity in 2019). At practical terms, a 2.900 TWh/year would be common closer to coasts. If we think about storage, waves act like energy reservoirs charged by the sun and the wind, which can travel for kilometers with virtually no loss of energy. Waves are more predictable and consistent compared with solar and wind energy. Waves are mainly found between tropics and the polar circles (30° - 60° latitudes) and are optimal in offshore waters with 40 meters deep [1].
Wave energy presents a multi-layered challenge due to complexities in power production and balances that must be achieved. That is why worldwide devices continue with their development processes but with high cost and complexity designs.
The success for a Wave Energy Converter (WEC) deployment, is a combination of three main pillars: Resource, Device’s technology and Finances [2] (see Fig. 1).
Background on technical problem be addressed
Rotary or linear electromagnetic generators use high speed to create electricity. Waves’ movement is slow and forces to use mechanisms to increase the kinetic energy from the potential energy.
Gears, gear racks, cams, rods, pulleys or oils are used in actual technologies for power transmission and generators’ speed increase, but this requires more maintenance labor, failures and costs. Current wave energy projects use complex technologies, special parts and new manufacturing processes that are not available in some regions, isolated communities or developing countries, this increases the initial project’s starting time, its investment and the future CapEx for the LCoE.
Floating non-standard structures use rigid volumetric geometries that need extra space to storage and expensive logistics with no stackable options, particularly in remote zones. The Neowave wave energy converter: Technical and financial approach. José Luis Montoya Posada T Fig. 1. Principles of balance for the development of any renewable energy technology. Neowave Energy is looking for all.
Waves are reasonably predictable. The expected flux of wave energy is known, but even a forecast longer than 7 days is not reliable.