Wave Energy Wave energy is a great alternative energy to fossil fuels. When people think of waves, they usually think of surfing, the beach, waves crashing down on the shore, but most people don’t think of energy being converted through waves. This energy is very unique, and more people should know about it, and should definitely be used more. Ocean wave energy is a good alternative to fossil fuels, because is renewable, a powerful clean source, and there are multiple options of ways to harness it. How It Works Wave energy converts the motion of waves into energy. According to Boem, there are many different designs that can be near the shore, float on the water, or under the water. Almost all of them use pumps or turbines to generate power. Some offshore designs have waves enter into a chamber, and when water splashes around in the chamber, air is pushed into a hole, which has a turbine in it. The air spins the …show more content…
Very rarely do waves ever stop. It’s also renewable, and that’s important. Waves don’t stop, and if fossil fuels become all used up, we can always use wave energy! With other alternative energies, you can’t always use it all day, like solar energy, which needs sunlight to work. Waves won’t stop until seven billion years from now when the sun burns out. So, waves will always be here until human extinction. Additionally, wave energy generates a lot of green power. It produces 2,641twh/year in the outer continental shelf. Just 1 twh/year can power 93,850 average U.S. homes (Boem). Also, wave energy is very green. Energy Informative states it doesn’t produce greenhouse gases, such as methane, like fossil fuels do. Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere, and can cause global warming. Global warming is the increase of heat in the atmosphere, which leads to climate change. What Opposers of Wave Energy May