Thanks to OIST for sponsoring this video. To learn more, visit https://admissions.oist.jp/ Wave power hasn’t yet made a splash because it’s hard to use waves to spin turbines, and because the sea is a harsh place to build things.

Thanks also to our Patreon patrons https://www.patreon.com/MinuteEarth and our YouTube members.

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To learn more, start your googling with these keywords: Wave energy converter - a device for turning the mechanical energy of ocean waves into mechanical energy (flow of a substance) or electrical energy Oscillating water column - an open-bottomed chamber filled with air and water, whose wave action moves the water column up and down like a piston, forcing the air out past a turbine Attenuator - a long multisegment floating structure oriented parallel to the direction waves travel, where differing heights of waves along the length of the device flex the connections driving hydraulic pumps that can be connected to turbines Oscillating body - a floating buoy that oscillates with waves, generating electricity within the buoy or by pulling on a generator or by pumping water through a turbine Overtopping device - a reservoir filled by waves to a height higher the average nearby ocean, into which reservoir water is released, spinning a turbine Biofouling - undesirable growth of organisms like barnacles and algae on underwater surfaces Ocean wave - energy passing through water and causing it to move in a circular motion Turbine - a machine for producing continuous power in which a wheel with blades gets hit by a fast-moving flow of water, steam, gas, air, or other fluid, and spins (often connected to a magnet that spins) Induction - the production of an electric current in a wire by movement of a nearby magnetic field

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If you liked this week’s video, you might also like: Why Wave Power Has Lagged Far Behind as Energy Source https://e360.yale.edu/features/why_wave_power_has_lagged_far_behind_as_energy_source

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Credits: Script Writer & Narrator: Alex Reich Video Illustrator: Arcadi Garcia Rius Video Directors: David Goldenberg & Julián Gómez With Contributions From: Henry Reich, Kate Yoshida, Ever Salazar, Peter Reich, David Goldenberg Music by: Nathaniel Schroeder: http://www.soundcloud.com/drschroeder

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References:

Aderinto, T., & Li, H. 2018. Ocean wave energy converters: Status and challenges. Energies, 11(5), 1250. https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/11/5/1250/pdf

Khan, N., Kalair, A., Abas, N., & Haider, A. 2017. Review of ocean tidal, wave and thermal energy technologies. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 72, 590-604. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2017.01.079

Lewis, A., et al. 2011. Ocean Energy. In IPCC Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation [O. Edenhofer, et al (eds)], Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA. https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/03/Chapter-6-Ocean-Energy-1.pdf

Pérez-Collazo, C., Greaves, D., & Iglesias, G. 2015. A review of combined wave and offshore wind energy. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 42, 141-153. 10.1016/j.rser.2014.09.032

Shintake, T. 2016. Harnessing the Power of Breaking Waves. In Proceedings of the 3rd Asian Wave and Tidal Energy Conference (AWTEC2016) (Vol. 174, pp. 9-13). http://bit.ly/2U0tt1I

Shintake, T. March 2019. Personal communication.

Tollefson, J. 2014. Power from the oceans: Blue energy. Nature News, 508(7496), 302. https://www.nature.com/articles/508302a

Uihlein, A., & Magagna, D. 2016. Wave and tidal current energy–A review of the current state of research beyond technology. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 58, 1070-1081. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032115016676

US Department of the Interior. May 2006. Technology White Paper on Wave Energy Potential on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. https://www.boem.gov/Wave-Energy-White-Paper-2006/

Wang, Z. L. 2017. New wave power. Nature, 542(7640), 159-160. http://bit.ly/2HYE2v5