Buoys use waves to generate electricity

Led by Annette von Jouanne and Alan Wallace, engineers at Oregon State University (OSU) are tapping into the ocean's vast potential by developing ways to harness its energy to produce electricity: buoy systems that can generate power just by floating in the ocean's undulating swells. One such system, located one to two miles offshore, is called the permanent magnet linear generator buoy. An electric coil surrounds a magnetic shaft inside the buoy, and while coil is secured directly to the buoy, the magnetic shaft is anchored to the sea floor. When waves cause the coil to move up and down relative to the fixed magnetic shaft, voltage is induced and electricity is generated. Each buoy could potentially produce 250 kilowatts of power, and the technology can be scaled up or down to suit a variety of energy needs. A fleet of about 200 such buoys could power the business district of downtown Portland.

Source: nytimes.comAdded: 18 April 2008