Green News – Buoy Parks Harvesting Wave Energy

In this decade of energy conservation awareness, alternative forms of power generation are being invented and implemented at an ever-increasing rate. One of the proposed ideas to supply large amounts of energy to metropolitan areas is to use buoy parks to generate wave power. These buoy parks, currently being considered for various offshore areas around the world, could supply enough energy to power thousands of homes each. Some estimates claim that wave energy could meet the energy needs of the entire world using less than one percent of available ocean resources. In fact, buoy parks would be a great energy alternative for areas that do not have access to an electrical grid.

A typical buoy park may contain around 200 large buoys and cover approximately two square miles of the ocean surface. The average buoy would extend about 15 feet above the water, and each buoy could power ten or twenty homes. An alternative type of buoy would be moored to the bottom of the ocean, perhaps 30 or 40 feet below the surface or even deeper. Of all the potential buoy park sites in the world, the West Coast of the United States appears to offer the most powerful waves with the fewest obstacles or restrictions for proposed buoy parks. Specifically, Oregon offers a desirable combination of powerful waves, accessible ocean floors, and a community that seems to embrace GREEN energy ideas.

Buoy parks are developing in different ways around the world. Researchers at Oregon State University are working on a buoy that uses copper wire and magnets to produce electricity. The magnets would use the ocean current and waves to move through the coil, generating around 250 kilowatts of electricity per buoy. The developers say that the buoys would be contactless, in other words, no part would come into contact with other parts of the buoy. This should provide a constant and sustainable power source without the corrosion one might expect from a dynamic object residing in the ocean.

Elsewhere, hydraulic buoys are being developed that will harness wave energy in less than optimal locations. For example, the current of the Florida Gulf Stream flows at almost ten billion gallons per second. However, the location is not very hospitable to floating parks due to heavy traffic and inaccessible ocean floors. Therefore, any proposed buoy park would have to be closer to land, where the ocean current is not as strong. Using hydro buoys will help generate power even in places that don’t produce a lot of wave power compared to the Oregon coast.

If buoy parks could provide all the energy needed for the Earth, then why aren’t they being used in full force yet? Well, the technology is only in the early stages of development. In fact, a recent setback occurred when a $2 million test buoy sank to the bottom of the ocean off the Oregon coast. Buoy parks also pose a potential hazard to commercial shipping traffic and fishing boats. In fact, some worry that the entire fishing industry in some places will suffer greatly because the buoy parks would use the same waters as those most desired by fishermen. The environmental effects of placing so many buoys in a small area cannot be accurately determined at this time without further study.

Despite the drawbacks, buoy parks are getting a lot of support as energy costs continue to rise. Although even more expensive, say, coal, the main source of wave energy (ocean current) is absolutely free. So all the monetary cost lies in the research and development, and in the materials used. Private companies around the world are joining educational institutions and government agencies as they see a huge opportunity to not only make money, but also establish a reputation for being GREEN.