Harnessing the Ocean's Latent Energy, the Wave Hub Powers Entire Cities
Omar Yusuf — October 26, 2011 — Eco
Considering that the Southern English coasts sport too many sharp cliffs and howling fjords, researchers have turned to the Wave Hub, a 12-ton buoy that harnesses the unused energy of the sea's tidal patterns to power thousands of homes.
Installed some 16 kilometers off the coast of Hayle, the Wave Hub doesn't do any energy collecting itself. Instead, four tidal arrays have been arranged in opposite directions, hovering in the water to generate electrical currents from the shifting North Sea. The Wave Hub subsequently collects the energy and delivers it through a 25-kilometer-long undersea 'umbilical' cable to a Welsh-owned station, eventually powering an estimated 7,500 homes in Cornwall. That's 20 megawatts of power! The best part is that the installation of the Wave Hub means that the production of 24,300 tons of carbon dioxide has been avoided due to a cleaner, healthier alternative to fossil fuels.
Installed some 16 kilometers off the coast of Hayle, the Wave Hub doesn't do any energy collecting itself. Instead, four tidal arrays have been arranged in opposite directions, hovering in the water to generate electrical currents from the shifting North Sea. The Wave Hub subsequently collects the energy and delivers it through a 25-kilometer-long undersea 'umbilical' cable to a Welsh-owned station, eventually powering an estimated 7,500 homes in Cornwall. That's 20 megawatts of power! The best part is that the installation of the Wave Hub means that the production of 24,300 tons of carbon dioxide has been avoided due to a cleaner, healthier alternative to fossil fuels.
Trend Themes
1. Tidal Energy Extraction - Harnessing the untapped power of tidal patterns to generate renewable energy.
2. Wave Hub Technology - Using buoys and tidal arrays to collect and deliver energy from the ocean's waves.
3. Clean Energy Solutions - Providing cleaner and more sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels through tidal energy.
Industry Implications
1. Renewable Energy - Developing and implementing technologies that harness tidal energy for power generation.
2. Energy Infrastructure - Building and maintaining the necessary infrastructure, such as Wave Hubs and undersea cables, for tidal energy extraction.
3. Environmental Conservation - Addressing climate change and reducing carbon emissions through the adoption of clean energy solutions like tidal energy.
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