Energy from water may seem to be too good to be true, and to an extent it is. There is a lot of salt in there, and any metal used will corrode pretty quickly. It is also fierce and dangerous, but that is part of the reason why it is so important that we can harness its power. If harnessing were possible, the United States would be able to glean more than 30% of the electricity needed just from the waves along the coast.
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Engineers at Oscilla Power hope to use a Wave Energy Converter and turn waves into power. The device is a float at the top and under the water is a suspended ring. The float moves as the waves do and the ring resists. It is this resistance that creates the energy. This has been tried before, but the machines were not strong enough and also the cost meant that it was not possible to use them. The corrosion that occurs as a result of the salt renders it impossible to repair or replace machinery.
Oscilla believes that certain parts have caused the problems with other machines and as a result, they have not used them recently. The Triton created power by squeezing the metal alloys and due to this, there is the creation of alternating magnetic poles. It may be an easy system, but it is also a large one. At 100 feet long it is believed that 600kW will be produced by each machine. However, many will want to see the results before believing them.
