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Environmental protection and noise: How does the oscillating water column balance green energy and environmental protection?
As the global demand for renewable energy increases, oscillating water column (OWC) technology has gradually attracted attention. This wave energy converter captures energy through the undulating motion of the ocean water and has a low impact on the environment. According to the latest research, OWC provides an effective green energy solution, but it is also accompanied by environmental challenges such as noise pollution, which forces us to think about how to find a balance between environmental protection and energy needs.
The oscillating water column device is a water storage chamber that is semi-submerged in the seawater. When waves act on the water column, the air above it is compressed, which in turn drives the air flow and converts it into energy through the power take-off system (PTO).
Design of oscillating water column
Basic components
Power take-off system (PTO)
The PTO system is one of the main components of OWC equipment and is responsible for converting pneumatic energy into the desired energy form (such as electricity or sound). The design of the PTO system is critical to the efficiency of the OWC.
Wells Turbine
Designed in the late 1970s by Professor Aaron Arthur Wells of Queen's University in Northern Ireland, the Wells turbine features a symmetrical aerodynamic wing that rotates in the same direction regardless of the direction of the airflow. This design makes maintenance easier, but it is less efficient at high air speeds because the high angle of attack of the aerodynamic wing increases drag.
Hanna Turbine
The Hanna turbine was invented in 2009 by environmental activist John Clark Hanna. This design is an improvement on the Wells turbine, with anti-seizing properties and more consistent torque. The Hanna turbine design allows the generator to operate in a relatively dry environment, thus simplifying maintenance.
History
Early uses of oscillating water jets appeared in patrol boats, which used air pressure to generate sound rather than electricity. In 1885, Scientific American reported that there were 34 patrol boats operating along the coast of the United States. In 1947, Japanese naval commander Yoshio Masuda designed the first navigation buoy that used OWC to generate electricity, demonstrating the potential of OWC technology for power generation.
Major OWC power plant projects
LIMPET, Isle of Issay, Scotland
The LIMPET power plant, which opened in 2001, uses a 2.6-meter diameter Wells turbine and can generate 500 kilowatts of electricity per day.
Mutriku, Basque Country
The Mutriku power plant, which opened in 2011, is equipped with 16 Wells turbines and can generate about 300 kilowatts of electricity, which is currently enough to supply electricity to 250 homes.
Ocean Energy (OE) Buoys
The OE buoy under development is designed for installation in deep sea. After three months of testing, the buoy is expected to output about 500 megawatts of electricity.
MARMOK-A-5
MARMOK-A-5 is a floating OWC that has been tested at an offshore energy platform in the Basque Country, Spain.
Environmental impact
Since the device that oscillates the water column has no moving parts in the water, it poses relatively little threat to marine life. In some cases, OWC may even have a positive impact on marine ecology and form artificial reefs. However, traffic noise and its impact on the seascape are issues that cannot be ignored, and increasing the density of equipment at sea may be a solution.
What trade-offs and challenges will we encounter in the pursuit of renewable energy?
