Material Insights · Understanding the Material World

Ocean waves

Energy passed from wind to the sea surface.

Natural sources · Solar-derived flows · No. 4

  • Natural sources
  • Origin: Indirect solar
  • Renewable: Yes
Natural sources · Solar-derived flows · Foundation · Energy

A stormy Atlantic coast receives 50 kW or more of wave power along every metre of shoreline.

Chart: Illustration: Ocean waves

Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Wind hands energy to the sea surface, which waves then carry for great distances; a 3 m, 10 second sea brings about 45 kW per metre.

Three things to know
  1. The richest wave climates lie between about 40 and 60 degrees latitude, on west-facing coasts.
  2. Within the US, Alaska dominates with a theoretical 2,000 TWh a year of wave resource.
  3. Enclosed seas are weak: the Baltic offers only about 0.7-1.5 kW per metre of coast.
The journey
  1. 1 WindBlows across long stretches of open ocean
  2. 2 WavesEnergy held as motion and lifted water
  3. 3 SwellTravels for days, so it is forecastable
  4. 4 ConvertersDemonstration devices on coasts and offshore
  5. 5 ElectricityStill only from individual pilot plants
Covered in Earth's energy flows: sun, wind, water, heat and lifeEnergy
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