Unlimited Wave Energy: This Buoy is the Future

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This video explores the revolutionary wave energy technology from CorPower, a leading Swedish energy startup. We delve into how CorPower's innovative, bio-inspired engineering techniques capture up to three times more energy from ocean waves compared to traditional methods. Discover how their ground-breaking technology could potentially lower costs below those of wind and solar energy, setting a new standard in renewable energy efficiency. Learn more about the future of sustainable power with CorPower's wave energy devices.
Check out this model of a plane's engine: cad.onshape.com/documents/578...
Sources:
corpowerocean.com/
www.diva-portal.org/smash/rec...
doi.org/10.1016/j.ijome.2016....
Thanks to @EnlitWorld for letting me use some of their interview! Check them out: www.enlit-europe.com/
Credits:
Producer & Presenter: Ryan Hughes
Research: Sian Buckley and Ryan Hughes
Video Editing: @aniokukade and Ryan Hughes
Music: Ryan Hughes
#energy #engineering #wave #breakthrough

[@ZirothTech]

There is a lot of incredible engineering packed into this, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it! Also, don't forget to check out Onshape for FREE: Onshape.pro/Ziroth - You won't regret giving it a try!

[@Eidolon1andOnly]

4:07 "Work with air instead of fluid." Air is a fluid, my guy. Guess meant to say "air instead of *iquid."

[@hassleoffa]

Why wouldn't they create a "ring" of them and attach it to the base of the offshore wind towers. That infrastructure is already in the right place - cabling, supports, maintenance schedules ....

[@alexandergreenfield91]

Hi thanks great piece as always. Now I realise it's a little off topic for yourself but I was wondering if you could answer a question I've had sfor a long time and have found no answer to on the entire internet. Why is it when a gas lighter is refilled and it's transparent with 2 connected sections only one fills with liquid gas at a time? You have to manually orientated the lighter to move the liquid into the second chamber before then filling the primary a second time? Surely if the chamber are connected pressure would be equal in both? Anyway if you could it may make an interesting side video about liquid gasses under pressure, especially given the hydrogen revolution that's almost certainly about to happen.

[@bashkillszombies]

My thoughts are you shouldn't court a scientific or engineering type of audience then lie to us and say "200% EFFICIENCY". If you wanted to flog above infinity machines you should have just made AI junk content and courted that audience.

[@bashkillszombies]

Wouldn't using wind and or wave power cause global warming?

[@dennyoconnor8680]

Keeping the barnacles and fouling growth controlled is going to be a continuous war. Ask any sea ship company. The inertial mass as the driver for the return stroke is smart. The nice shiny slides etc. and complex gear box strike me as long term maintenance issues though. I am watching this with interest.

[@DreadX10]

Not to mention the occasional shipping container (or other debris) drifting into it.

[@AndyGneiss]

@@DreadX10 Perhaps it will be another reason to push to keep our seas clean. One can hope.

[@DreadX10]

@@AndyGneiss That wont work unless we totally abandon the oceans and shores. Storms cause shipwrecks and blow structures/materials from the shore into the sea. Seagulls will ravish garbage-bins once they have learned there is a chance of food there. And they are messy foragers. This will also end up in the sea.

[@KrustyKlown]

I'm wondering how they will reliably seal out the salt water ... those rod seals will fail.

[@Hybridog]

@@KrustyKlown I don't think anyone would go to the trouble of designing, engineering, installing and testing something like this, which they have already done, if they didn't have a plan for salt water and corrosion.

[@odbo_One]

My grandfather made a wave generator on his boat, it was just a generator (electric motor of some sort I think?), with weights and springs. it created electricity when offshore with engines off. It worked.

[@paradiselost9946]

a well-balanced gyroscope shouldnt take too much power to keep spinning, and will hold itself stationary as a boat rocks back and forth... of course, as you try to extract more power, the boat tends to rock less... the sweet spot being when you can hold it back to half the swing it would otherwise perform.

[@_spartan11796]

Didn’t know wave energy had been investigated for so long

[@ZirothTech]

It was a surprise to me too, a longer pursuit than fusion 😅

[@_spartan11796]

@@ZirothTech “always 200 years away”

[@andrewreynolds912]

​@@_spartan11796 lul

[@mnomadvfx]

Saltwater + greater physical stresses than high altitude wind are no small problems to fix. It's a matter of getting high enough output for a given length of time before the degradation of the hardware sets in. aka return on investment (ROI) is the biggest issue.

[@orbitONhigh]

​@@mnomadvfx 100% agree I'm looking at this thing going that a lot of moving parts and seals in harsh environment doubt it last more than a year before needing a major rebuild. This is the problem with all wave power systems that i've seen proposed. the ocean is corrosive and full of debris and to extract energy from you have to have moving parts exposed the the water combined with wave power be cyclical in nature makes fatigue damage a guarantee. I they had the tech to solve these fundamental problems they would be selling it to mining and oil companies and be making lot more money than making power generators.

[@eMeeuwEngineering]

I had this idea too about 15 years ago, so I calculated the maximum yield during a vacation on Tenerife (I have a Masters degree in mechanical engineering). The waves around Tenerife look great, but even there they're about 2m high and arrive every 10s. To catch the top of a wave efficiently, the diameter of the buoi maxes out at around 3m. This resulted in about 5kW power per buoi, so you need about 1000 buois to generate as much as 1 off-shore wind turbine. This is why I gave up on the idea...

[@Twistedpaolumu]

The offshore turbines installed at Dogger bank A and B is 13Mw each. GE Haliade-X 13. Dogger Bank C and later will be 14Mw each. The blades are 107meter on a 220meter rotor.

[@bakedbeings]

I see in the video he put the output per buoy at 600 kw.

[@pissoffeachother]

Yeah, showing off shore wind turbines while referring to 15+ year old wind turbine specs is a bit off-putting.

[@FishxPerct]

Agreed. Care to estimate the energy with the approximate dimensions of this buoy? I find the article quoted figures / gains highly questionable. I'm also not impressed with the phasing explanation / mechanism. Regretfully nothing here convinces me of a significant advance rather an attempt by a failing start-up to profit from a higher profile. It's a shame, I don't assocaite this site with click-bait titles.

[@KTPDAILY]

​@@Twistedpaolumuhello and thank you for sharing your wisdom -- blades as long as one football field? Yes? Really? I'm speechless 😶 🤐 please elaborate so I can get researching and learning, thank you.

[@HelloNotMe9999]

These can easily be placed within (long) swimming distance of a shoreline where marine traffic is a non issue. Also serves as a good "hey, beachgoers, stay inside the bouys" kinda reminder. California should be all over this.

[@NickCombs]

No issues with harming marine or avian wildlife either. That's been a concern for bladed wind & wave energy extractors. The bouy design also looks like it's pretty well protected against corrosion, but I guess we shall see if that bears out.

[@anarex0929]

Not to mention scuba divers that are more adventurous will want to go and and treat it like a tourist attraction. As long as you're not trying to surface near the buoys its safe ish. But no more dangerous than going into a wreck.

[@HelloNotMe9999]

@@anarex0929 Divers are generally pretty cautious people. I am one myself. We generally try not do things that will unalive ourselves at depth…

[@rhiantaylor3446]

By taking some energy out of the waves we should expect a (probably small) reduction in the impact of waves on the shoreline.

[@anarex0929]

@@HelloNotMe9999 yet we seem to get planty of practice. I remember some reckless divers that went in a fiberglass, carbon fiber, they didnt follow any safety criteria for their submersible, yet they sure did avoid unaliving themselves too right.Oh wait. There's pieces of them next to the Titanic. So your theory falls like a lead weight, I should know IM A DIVER TOO. 😁 Point is you owe me a beer when someone starts diving next to those wave generator's.

[@teardowndan5364]

One major problem with many wave-driven generators or anything in relatively slow-moving water is barnacles weighing everything down over time or interfering with moving parts. Anything you permanently install at sea that requires buoyancy or exposed underwater moving parts will likely need to have the barnacles periodically scraped off and an anti-stick coating re-applied.

[@barneyrubble4293]

It moves up and down the shaft, just put a scraper on the bottom that moves with the float up and down. Everything else can be barnacled.

[@teardowndan5364]

@@barneyrubble4293 Barnacles increase drag, which increases side loads that the whole system has to withstand through the whole range of oceanic currents, wave roughness and operating loads. It also adds vertical drag which increases the up/down loads the mechanism has to bear. Buoys rely on buoyancy to apply upward force and barnacles weighing the shell down would reduce available net buoyancy, reducing peak power production. Scraping the pole to prevent barnacles from stacking on it only solves a small part of the barnacle problem. The part of the reciprocating pole that gets regularly used in operation would get scraped by the entry point shields and seals anyway.

[@walkabout16]

In the vast expanse where oceans roar, A revolution breaks upon the shore. CorPower's buoy, with ingenuity rare, Unlocks the power of waves with flair. Inspired by nature's timeless design, It harnesses energy, a feat divine. With bio-inspired engineering in its stride, It rides the waves, a renewable tide. Three times more energy, it deftly extracts, From ocean swells, in rhythmic acts. A beacon of hope in the quest for green, It paints a future, serene and clean. No longer bound by winds that blow, Or sunbeams that come and go, Wave energy rises, a force untamed, A beacon of progress, forever acclaimed. With costs set to plummet, as innovation soars, CorPower's buoy opens untapped doors. A new standard in renewable might, Shining brightly in sustainability's light. So let us hail this wave-powered dream, A vision of tomorrow, where possibilities gleam. For in the heart of the ocean's embrace, Lies the promise of a greener, brighter space.

[@finncarlbomholtsrensen1188]

Also in Denmark we have tried to make systems for wave energy. None has made it past Project state! We depend on the still larger windmills now built in the North Sea and intended to make huge islands far out, with farms of mills producing absurd amounts of electricity!

[@human_isomer]

The system seems well designed. However, I have some doubts about the longevity as there are a lot of parts in it that may all be susceptible to corrosion and wear. And a footer like this has to be really sturdy to withstand high wind load.

[@speedy01247]

thats the point of testing, its important to be cautious but not foolish either in dismissal or acceptance.

[@Pedgo1986]

@@speedy01247 Iam not dismissal but im tired of those new revolutionary game changing word breaking energy source and is always dud. On paper everything is great in reality most of ideas are unviable. If is too good to be true and you know the rest. Like those nuclear batteries few months ago. Look i hope it work but those hyperbole and big words even before it is tested just irks me to no end. Same like that fusion reactor everybody is talking is around corner but didn't say the silent part the important one. Yes we can build fusion reactor right now but it will be very short lived endeavour because we lack one critical component the material that can whistand that tremendous radiation inside reactor that will change and destroy any known material we have which is the actual problem and we don't know when and even if such material even exist or can be created. So no its not beyond the corner.

[@Hybridog]

@@Pedgo1986 It has been tested.

[@Pedgo1986]

@@Hybridog ONE buoy was tested and analysis is ongoing. Here is the thing they are promising too good numbers and iam sceptic this isnt first or second time something new revolutionary is presented and was dud. First thing is where they want to deploy planed 20 000 buoys it will littler the was are and made it unusable, then how do you transfer electricity from those bouoys to grid? spider web of hundreds of miles in ocean? and then who and how will service those things? Also their peak electricity production is 850 kwh which is 20 average houses a day but this is not sustained production so average will be less. So in this form and numbers its not enough for scale and issues it will present.

[@Firebuck]

Interesting design, I hope it passes the installation tests. I really like the image near the end of the video of mixed offshore wind and the CorPower buoys. Why not fill the space between giant wind towers (where reasonable) with more power generation that can share the infrastructure to get the power ashore.

[@John...44...]

Surely that would bring the levelised cost down. Unless they have already factored that in

[@laughinggas5281]

if you have to maintain the towers using a ship, you wouldn't want buoys getting in the way.

[@Poult100]

The best thing about this system is that the corrosive environment is totally sealed out of both the electrical AND mechanical components, ensuring a long and reliable life. Brilliant!

[@whiskeytango9769]

That is key, every other ocean based system I have seen would be wrecked by corrosion, or require a significant amount of regular maintenance.

[@das250250]

Give it time

[@John-ou4rm]

It moves up and down it's anchored tether.... So it is exposed.

[@Poult100]

@@John-ou4rm yeah, I've just had another look and there has to be some kind of seal at the bottom of the buoy... That must be one clever seal.

[@realestatenow]

@@Poult100many car seals have three rubber rings, so if one fails there are two more that hold.

[@luvkilo]

I did not expect it to be that big, crazy stuff

[@truthboomertruthbomber5125]

The wave action is used to displace a weight. The moving weight is what powers the generator. The generator is going to be difficult to spin. This means the weight has to be very heavy and hence very large. The lever system also has to be large to create a large movement of the weight. This makes the unit end up needing to be huge. Wind turbines also have these same engineering realities. They need to be as large as it is possible for humans to actually bolt them together.

[@gizmoguyar]

​@@truthboomertruthbomber5125 no it has more to do with extractable energy. The larger the displacement the more of the wave's energy can be extracted. Same with wind turbines, the larger the swept area, the more energy they can collect. It's perfect easy (actually quite a bit easier) to manufacture and assemble smaller devices.

[@jonyfrany1319]

They have big pockets

[@jonyfrany1319]

What ever is designed to generate rental like power is the rich trying to squeeze the working class.

[@Eduard.Popa.]

Wow, that is the best solution for sea wave energy I ever saw

[@drillerdev4624]

"I ever sea"

[@mgris]

Google Oscillating Water Column.

[@bakedbeings]

@@drillerdev4624 I sea Watt you did there.

[@unhippy1]

@@drillerdev4624 I sea the grammar nazsea's have arrived

[@eliottc5371]

A low LCOE is nice but I wish you looked into the capacity factor. If it's higher than wind power then it could be a game changer as it lowers the need for batteries.

[@MultiMolly21]

May I suggest more random distribution and some long- necked sea bird puppet head? This is obviously for aesthetics.Loved the article and thanks.

[@anonamouse5917]

Turn it into a massive 'drinking bird'.

[@AdvantestInc]

Excellent breakdown of the C4's engineering and testing. Your ability to make these technical topics engaging is outstanding!

[@bc-guy852]

Each of your episodes is jam-packed with interesting information I didn't know I wanted to know! Always a pleasure to watch; I expect your channel to do VERY well! Thanks for your efforts!

[@jmckittrick1]

Great video. The potential energy in waves is so huge. Additionally, enough wave energy devices could potentially help with storm surges too. Although that hypothesis may prove unattainable. In short, once wave energy technology is reliable and financially feasible, it'll be a game changer. Very little need for any other energy sources.

[@Candyapplebone]

Yes, except that I don’t think you can reasonably expect to send energy from the ocean all the way to the center of a continent. Electricity can’t travel that far.

[@puscasumihaipm5679]

​@@Candyapplebone It can travel far.Problem is losses in the systems actually used and if is worth economically because of these losses.

[@pb5x]

Best video on the topic I`ve seen! You have done your homework here (not to mention your other videos)! And that`s coming from someone who was involved with wave energy for 15 years! I do think that CorPower is hands-down the winner in this niche, however I cannot see it competing with Floating Offshore Wind as the interest, money, and O&G experience has shifted there in part because of all the repeated overpormises and ego-driven failures of the WE industry in the past 50 years. Let`s hope CorPower can break the trend! At this point we need all the renewable electricity we can get. One thing that you did not mention (but which of course is repeated ad nauseam by propoenents is that wave energy is less intermittant than wind or solar. And where did you get the LCOE figure at 10:25 from? Keep up the good work!

[@dennisclapp7527]

Thank you Ziroth. The engineering looks like a lot of fun for this engineer.

[@Tom-dt4ic]

Thanks for this video! Extremely well done and thoughtful. I would think another advantage of wave energy is it's fairly steady with a much lower level of intermittency than wind or solar. Maybe not quite good enough to call it a reliable base load, but I would think pretty close.

[@indianhistorybuff]

Also most population centers are near the sea.

[@ebutuoy8272]

Waves make me happy cause they are always waving.

[@tomellis4750]

"Not waving but drowning."

[@MrAdopado]

Well done. Good content. Good video length choice. On the strength of this I'll definitely take a look at your other videos.

[@ZirothTech]

Thank you!

[@loisplayer2658]

Such an incredible technology! Thanks for another great video!

[@sbdruitt]

Great video Ryan. I've not seen a natural energy harvester design quite like this before, very clever! I feel like there's a recurring theme of mimicking/getting inspiration from natural things within engineering (in this case the heart). Also, whilst the aesthetics of large wind turbines in the ocean is subjective... there's no debate that these have a far smaller visual footprint, and in my opinion are therefore much less intrusive of the landscape visually.

[@flemmingqvist8326]

This is one of the best videos about Wave energy. CorPower is an invention based on trusted and well handeled theory. This is uncommon with most other wave energy videos. However CorPowers technology is based on a very sophisticated working principle, with constantly tuned mass damper. Most people will not be able to understand why CorPower is more efficient than most other wave energy converters. I am a machine engineer, but must admit that the working principle is beyond my understanding. But have been told by an expert that CorPower is one of a very few projects that may succeed. I dont expect wave energy to be a commercial succes ever. But I have a very short list of the two most promising projects: Wave Piston and CorPower. All other projects are without any chance of succes. And are just a vaste of money and time.

[@markTheWoodlands]

I've been following wave technology for a long time. This looks promising. Excellent presentation as usual.

[@ZirothTech]

Thanks Mark that is very kind, this is definitely one to keep an eye on!

[@joshjones6072]

Nice description, it looks like a promising design. I've been interested in wave power for a long time, there's so much of it, and most people live along coasts. The trick is good mooring seafloor attachment and stopping corrosion. Logistically these look good, drop and tow.

[@christmassnow3465]

One challenge I see is how to make all the generators in phase with each other, as they all have to feed the same grid. The phase of the wave under each buoy is not synchronized with that under the other buoys. How did the engineers tackle this problem?

[@Number_Free]

I've had a simpler idea in mind for a long time: a massive permanent magnet is driven upwards through a coil by a wave, and it drops back again via gravity to also generate power. A 'linear generator' in other words. I doubt that life would ever that simple in practice of course but the concept does have the benefit of easier maintenance and possibly manufacturing too.

[@bgshin2879]

A few thoughts; 1. The idea is brilliant and it is a direction we all should investigate. Harvesting Sun and Moon’s energy directly is the most environmentally friendly methods. 2. Like many new/ old ideas, they will require time to mature the technology/ engineering to become an everyday thing. Train was, airplane was and cars were all discarded with their humble beginning. 3. There are many engineering challenges. Survivability is not just short term but also a long term issue. There are power plants that has been running for decades, not many sea vessels have a lifespan longer than 40 years. Composite hulls tend to last less (glass fibre tents to last 15-25 years) and they tend to leak fine glass particles to surrounding areas when they deteriorate over time, which is another cause for concern. Some people commented on foul growth, namely barnacles, the outside growth may have less impact but internal growth (they can grow inside too) and subsequent crushing may lead to particle (many of beach sands are crushed sea shells) interference with the gear mechanism and generator. As we all know, water, dust and electricity does not go well with each other. 4. Debris impact etc does not concern me as much, as we can come up with simple structures to protect the buoy. On the other hand, the buoy can be placed near hazardous shipping routes with small lights on top to guide ships. All in all, these are more manageable issues. 5. The real problem is cost. Also fluctuation of power generation. The biggest set back of current renewable energy ideas is the unpredictable power generation and weather dependency. To my best and humble knowledge, sea has its own seasons. Obviously, they will choose the best site for installation yet seasonality is part of nature we cannot control or change. It is surprising that they did not mention about it. 6. Finally, previous experience with multi billion dollar wind farm left me baffled with inefficiencies and limitations. This direction appears a lot more promising than many of the wind farm or solar farm ideas.

[@ddegn]

"Harvesting Sun and Moon’s energy directly is the most environmentally friendly methods." What do you mean by *Moon's energy"* Do you mean the tides?

[@bgshin2879]

Yes which alone is sufficient for current energy demand if we can capture a fraction of it.

[@tbix1963]

Thanks for sharing, always found wave energy an interesting technology. Living in Central New York I’ve often thought it would be a good addition to our power supply mix if it was to be implemented in Lake Ontario. It a very choppy lake with plenty of available power without the complexity of being in sea water. I’m sure other Great Lakes would likely be just as likely for successful systems like this.

[@richardzeitz54]

VERY interesting. Promising! You say the pneumatic system works with "air instead of fluid." Air IS fluid. In common usage, sometimes fluid DOES mean liquid as opposed to solid or gas, but this is a science and technology channel so it seems right to stick to the more exact usage. Sorry to nitpick. But I really like this video and your other work as well. Thanks! From Wiktionary: Noun fluid (countable and uncountable, plural fluids) 1) Any substance which can flow with relative ease, tends to assume the shape of its container, and obeys Bernoulli's principle; a liquid, gas or plasma. [How I suggest the term be used in science and tech pieces] 2) A liquid (as opposed to a solid or gas). [How the term was used in this video] 3)(specifically, medicine, colloquial, typically in the plural) Intravenous fluids.

[@ridermak4111]

And…..if blood flow went in two directions, we would all be dead.

[@ddegn]

*"Air IS fluid"* I was surprised I had to scroll so far to find this comment. For a science education channel, this is really annoying error. As you say, bot liquids and gasses are fluids. I wouldn't say you were nitpicking. I think you found a fully grown louse.

[@ddegn]

@@ridermak4111 I thought that was odd too.

[@neetincleats]

Great video! Thanks for your hard work.

[@jimwinchester339]

I had an idea for a wave generator system when I first saw one of those "octopus" amusement park rides in operation. I realized immediately that if a barge/comparment was perched atop a smart network of floating footpods, the wave action could drive pistons that could siphon off energy.

[@tysonjbest]

would this absorb storm wave height and provide a percentage of protection to sensitive coastal areas prone to erosion?

[@Aviopic]

There is no free lunch in physics so I guess it does 🤔

[@JeppeBeier]

I think you would need an extreme amount of these for any noticeable effect.

[@Aviopic]

@@JeppeBeier I think so too but it's just there can't be no effect.

[@MrAdopado]

A large array must have a moderating effect. This is an upside in terms of coastal erosion but it also is a downside for the relative positioning of buoys in a large array. Presumably if the proximity of the buoys would need to take account of this and would determine the area needed for the wave power "farm".

[@jasonsharma5888]

doubt it

[@benmcreynolds8581]

This is without a doubt my favorite wave energy concept. I really hope that the ideas that are promising just get funding and they start giving it a go because I'm so tired of seeing great advancements but everyone only talks about the money aspects holding it back from happening.. If we don't start making new things and putting money into them, then of course fossil fuel companies will continue to argue that their option is best and cheapest. I wish we could commit to modern advanced nuclear energy options as well

[@adamthethird4753]

What you are experiencing is the “innovation” of Market and Venture Capitalism. Where “best” is defined as “most profitable”.

[@fusion9619]

It's all a matter of corruption, and paradoxically, the more corrupt the better. For example, wind power is so unprofitable and bad for the environment that no wind project would ever be built anywhere without subsidies and kickbacks and middlemen in the political process - hence why it's built mostly in the EU, which has the biggest governments. Wind costs $150 per MWh without subsidies and that's after gaining scaling efficiency from decades of deployment. But it gets built everywhere... Proof, make it corrupt and business problems won't matter.

[@ivanbro1208]

As a portuguese I have been following this project closely on the news, it seems very promising, the portuguese state should invest in this.

[@ddegn]

Wouldn't it be better to use solar and wind? The price of energy using these wave devices is way more expensive than the alternatives.

[@stephenpearce3880]

Really great, well worth a watch. I lookfoward to see acres of these around the UK underneath the wind turbines

[@TLguitar]

Are there estimations from third parties about the system's potential effects (during long term operation, not just installation) on marine life? And can anything dislodge the anchoring system (e.g. earthquakes)? Now regarding actual practicality: Half of my small country and ~90% of its population are by the sea, and calculating the very peak power generation of these (the average is not quoted) against an average yearly electricity consumption here (as if excess power from times of lower consumption can be stored) we would require over 4,000 buoys in operation. Calculated for real time peak electricity consumption during the summer results in 25,000 buoys required. Considering the peak power generation could very well be double the average, I can't imagine having 10,000 such giant buoys along our ~170km shoreline in order to possibly replace all other energy production methods (again, with a hypothetical energy storage method, as covering peaks in real time would require many more tens of thousands). I can't even imagine these supplementing just 25% of our energy requirements as that would still require around 20 buoys per kilometer throughout the entire shoreline.

[@jefflloyd394]

Very nice. What about tides, waves work at different heights all the time - does the tether need to change lengths all the time? Or it just works at high tide?

[@krzysztofsocha8764]

I was about to ask the same question 😅

[@MrAdopado]

Yes it would need to adapt, though I think a tidal range adjustment would surely be part of the design.

[@incognitotorpedo42]

Seems like a great idea. It will live or die by LCOE (mentioned around 9:00 ). The cost per MWh they claim is at least kinda interesting, particularly if they can get the cost down at scale.

[@johnjacobs5838]

Brilliant engineering and very well explained. The big problem with wave energy, like wind power, is that it isn't predictable. There are sometimes long periods of calm. That is why tidal stream energy is so much better. As long as the moon keeps going round the earth the tides flow around our coasts twice a day.

[@Agapimo]

This is an efficient and well thought out design🏆 🤔My question is how does it deal with “fouling” (growth of marine organisms) on the sliding cylinders, I can see how constant friction would deter accumulation, but what about the low areas that would only be traveled on with high oscillating waves❓

[@mullergyula4174]

Is recycling solved for these composite materials?

[@ivancho5854]

Probably not.

[@DreadX10]

Nope, used fibreglass blades from wind-mills are still buried and not recycled.

[@paradiselost9946]

@@DreadX10 what bugs me is that planes worked perfectly well for decades being made from aluminium sheet held together with pop-rivets... no trouble scrapping them at end of life... easy to make, too. hmmm... lightweight, aerodynamic structure, can be shipped as a flat pack and assembled on site? nah! lets use "space age cutting edge sophisticated high tech optimally engineered advanced composite structural materials" that we can make in remote factories then ship via massive trucks through torturous routes... then leave in massive piles or festering skeletons on a hillside or in landfill... whilst "technology improves and we can reclaim the valuable resources"... only around the corner! just a few more years! dont get me started on the power generation side of them... imho, you could replace the boilers of an existing coal or similar station with a few properly placed turbines, use them to generate and store heat at maximum efficiency regardless of windspeeds or demand... but whatever... lets use inverters, batteries, brakes, and limit ourselves to trying to match an erratic (albeit plentiful) supply to a varying demand... thats "industry leading engineering"...

[@antonhuman8446]

Brilliant. Thank you!

[@mickmiah7605]

Great Vid- cheers Z.

[@Noluckman]

Some people are commenting about barnicles and other sea life things that like to stick onto surfaces like boat hulls, it's a fair point and I was wondering if there's any "no maintenance/minimal maintenance" and if not, what would the costs be to have divers clean the bouys? Also if this whole system becomes wide spread, would that not create jobs for diving cleaners?

[@testi2025]

The Achilles heel of renewal energy calculations is maintenance and decommission cost. Usually these wind, solar and wave technologies are in the mercy of weather and their live span is short, 15-25 years in real life. They are installed on hard to reach places thus making both costs high. For some reason, decommissioning costs are not taken in to account, even though they matter more with these compared to most fossil and nuclear plants with 50+ year life.

[@ntingk]

ah don't wake the greenies and the grant predators from their sweet dreams with real-world problems.

[@taylormanning2709]

Good point, but dismantling a power plant to prepare the land for other use is also non-zero cost

[@davidhollowood6580]

In this particular application we (the U.S.A.) already have a great deal of expertise for maintenance on-site as the USCG and NOAA have been managing offshore navigation and weather data buoys for at least half a century. Aside from size difference a fleet of buoy tenders based on existing models could probably handle deployment and capture for repair and decommissioning.

[@Jokerwolf666]

Solar panels can survive way longer than 25 years, most new ones are rated to 80% efficiency after 25 years so they only lose production.

[@59jm24]

The decommissioning costs for anything are seldom taken into account for most of the stuff humans make and use.

[@kennethmui88]

How does the system handle the lateral forces of the ocean waves? Does the anchor or spring pneumatic system inside the buoy damped these forces and only allow vertical motion?

[@bruce-le-smith]

Great video, great tech, great sponsor, thanks!

[@fredread9216]

And yes, phasing with the period of the sea matched with the device would indeed greatly increase its efficiency. Very cool.

[@Elias_Ainsworth92]

looks interesting, those sliding salt water seals though, I have longevity concerns. do they have a way to pressurize the buoy?

[@richardjones38]

A clever idea. I cant think how adjusting their resonant frequency to match the waves could be achieved relatively easily with any other type of mechanism. Also, apart from needing to access them for maintenance, I imagine these could be packed closely together without affecting one another, unlike wind turbines.

[@DheerajBhaskar]

@Thunderf00t how does this system look to you. Long time viewer. I am really trying to learn your analysis style.

[@dp5475]

600kw from a device that expensive to construct is devastating.

[@TomekSw]

How it will be developed if it's so much more expensive than the wind power?

[@lordgarion514]

As long as it's cheaper than fossil fuels, and doesn't kill as many people as fossil fuels, then it's useful. We get the majority of our electricity from Cole currently, even though coal is quite a bit more expensive than natural gas. 🤷‍♂️

[@lauchlanguddy1004]

scale.

[@Mithinco]

Now that's a smart solution. Hope it takes off!

[@Notesend]

What about the maintenance issue of it rusting and the salt destroying the inner tech within?

[@kennshearer526]

Fascinating, and an excellent presentation.

[@ZirothTech]

Thank you!

[@codeitnative2849]

Awesome Video sir!

[@ZirothTech]

Thank you!

[@YouTubeAlex666]

Excellent well edited video.

[@memofromessex]

There was tide mill's in East Anglia since the medieval period, but nothing wave powered :)

[@mikenr]

Fascinating! Many thanks 🙂🙏🏼

[@yggdrasil9039]

Actually, you could have a much longer tube like structure, and capture the energy of those 18.5 metre high waves as well. That would 1. produce much more energy, 2. allow for continuous operation in all weathers, and 3. act as a slight damper to such storms, marginally reducing their destructive damage on the nearby shoreline.

[@sklag1]

I still like the CETO system. One of it's main advantages is it's anchored to the seabed. The corpower system is on the surface which makes it vulnerable to storms and shipping, also a bit of an eyesore.

[@GunGryphon]

The tuning is like MPPT on solar panels. The system load is adjusted to match what the driver can push at that moment.

[@11000038]

Looks a much simpler and self-contained solution than many. If they can be successfully attached to the sea bed, maintenance could be quite low. A ship with a crane could just up lift for on-land refurbishment and attach a newly serviced unit. I wonder in what depth they can be deployed?

[@mikebikekite1]

Interesting video but you'd need a lot of these 600KW wave generators to replace a single 8MW offshore wind turbine. You also need more connections to join them all up. Also remember that anything immersed in sea water will suffer from corrosion - the generators in offshore turbines are generally around 100m above the sea but these are actually in the sea. The fiberglass shell of the device certainly reduces the LCOE but will it survive impacts with debris that can be floating in the sea? Will it be equipped with a pump in the event of a puncture and will it notify controllers that something needs to be fixed. Do they work in all sea states (other than flat calm)?

[@DreadX10]

Yes, these things need to be light enough to float, yet sturdy enough to handle anything the ocean can throw at them for decades. Looking at the shore-line after a storm and seeing what washed up ashore makes me doubt these things are sturdy enough.

[@ericmaclaurin8525]

I love the generators but think the anchors and cables should be built by a state or coalition of entities that are focused on building new habitat. Building an artificial reef system that works as an anchor and transmission network for offshore wind, solar and wave energy would allow unlimited small players to enter the market by allowing them to focus on their products because 95% of the time and cost is eliminated. Combining the offshore habitat creation with the offshore energy needs allows us to build habitat on the scale needed and to have it all funded by transmission fees. Adding fresh water lines opens up additional options from offshore desalination, where brine can be used in kelp farms that are fed and cooled with artificial upwelling or and or diluted, to allowing offshore transport between cities. ( a us west coast infrastructure reef from LA to Washington state connects electric grids and water systems) A continuous reef with multiple structures reaching the surface, fish farms, kelp farms, shellfish farms and the entire reef developed as a managed preserve would dramatically improve water quality and fisheries. The reef allows unlimited power and water to come from the ocean and the CO2 the reef naturally removes from the ocean is enough to significantly change the alkalinity along the entire coast.

[@jamesgabor9284]

Great! Can’t wait to never see this in the real world! ☹️

[@jaapfolmer7791]

Thank you for an interesting video. I hope this time it will actually work! I'm a little curious how the energy is brought on shore and how this ties in to the whole intermittency/storage issue. Can combinations with wind/solar mitigate that issue?

[@RichardWilkin]

With the substantial infrastructure of large wind turbines already working well, perhaps it could be efficient to have one machine that uses wind and wave power, or to have wave power mechanisms that hug the base of existing wind turbines?

[@nakfan]

Great with some qualified focus on this exciting area of renewal energy 👍

[@quantx6572]

the ocean and the sun have so much energy to give. it makes me happy to see us harnessing the power in innovative ways.

[@baremetaltechtv]

Since waves get there energy from the lunar interaction with earth that causes tides, if we take buoy energy to the exteme and fill the ocean with them, isnt there a danger of causing unintended side effects in the same way that planets that are interacting through gravity can steal spin energy from each other? the buoys get their energy from the waves, the waves get it from the tides, the tides get it from gravitational interaction with the moon, so the buoy energy is essentially sapping the energy of the gravitational interaction of the earth and moon.

[@TheBooban]

The bouys are still on earth, so no, it doesn’t affect the tides. Unless by tide you mean the wave. The wave must now push up against the bouy. It becomes a smaller wave. I guess that’s it. Helps against erosion?

[@DreadX10]

All the energy from the lunar interaction will turn to heat-energy eventually. These buoys will grab some of that former 'lunar energy', convert it to electricity and then it will become heat-energy when the electricity is used. The end-result is the same. So it is a 'use it or loose it anyway' situation.

[@bakedbeings]

Are waves not wind-generated?

[@baremetaltechtv]

@@DreadX10 That does make sense. Thank you!

[@Guitar6ty]

Excellent presentation this looks like a much more ecological solution than windmills.

[@picklesdill5462]

Great video I really enjoy this information! Also the whole time my ears heard you say "Boy" instead of "Buoy." xD

[@CTimmerman]

What's the ROI on those springs and the entire system, including transmission cables/pipes? Aren't rotating shafts better at staying waterproof?

[@Aelfraed26]

Title: "How This Buoy JUST UNLOCKED Unlimited Wave Energy" First 20 seconds of the video: "But that COULD all be set to change"

[@travischeramie]

Can you imagine a system like this that could also aerosolize seawater, creating denser cloud cover and lowering the surface temperature of earth? I feel like the potential for a dual purpose energy and cloud producing unit has been overlooked.

[@biondanishgenomeinstitute8193]

Might work for preventing coastal erosion too. A few rows of those parallel to the coast should be able level the waves.

[@jasonsharma5888]

How will this dampen waves or encourage root growth?

[@biondanishgenomeinstitute8193]

@@jasonsharma5888 Like oil on water, just leveling bigger waves so they don't grow big at the coast and eat at the land.

[@jasonsharma5888]

@@biondanishgenomeinstitute8193 I see, you would need to put these devices in a mode where they pushed back against the waves without breaking in order to do that, and the more surface area they had the better they'd work; currently when there are big waves the device disengages so it doesn't break and they're designed to float, more than fight the waves. Your analogy is also flawed because oil on water is adding surface tension. There is another issue: where waves grow the most is probably closer to the coast than these devices will be anchored.

[@victoryfirst2878]

I am impressed at your passion on the subject matter Sir. Good luck with your endeavors. Peace v

[@adamabele785]

Ideally this should be areas that are protected from fishing. With some enhancements, you could build a whole ecosystem.

[@fionafiona1146]

Windparks already are partly protected by shallow locations or leasehold conditions, so it's likely the case. Adding some corral/mussle farming might be useful

[@RandalTurnerMKULTRA]

Just realized they do not have a stand alone cad design program, anything you create on their site they can steal from you. not a smart place to be working on inventions or idea's you don't want stolen.

[@CaptWho]

It would be interesting to hear about how the units deal with tidal shifts. With the rigid mooring systems, it appears that they only work at a set depth. That would mean that with a high tide or a low tide, the units would be inoperable due to being over extended/retracted and would just lock in place. There would have to me some way of controlling the length of the mooring rod connecting the units to the seabed and I don't remember this being covered by the video.

[@lauchlanguddy1004]

not for ig tides simple, use tidal energy systems for big tides

[@marksimmonds6364]

Why dont they integrate this technology with offshore wind farms. The float can bob up and down on the shaft of the wind turbine, and you get the best of both.

[@LordDustinDeWynd]

Buoy farms might also affect beach movement by slowing down wave action or disrupting currents.

[@JoelBergmark]

Interesting, didn't hear about this company here in Sweden, but seems this tech have potential

[@aldoo5985]

An excellent job was done 😊

[@danielreed5199]

4:01 Just a note, Air is a Fluid, I think you meant to say the Buoy uses Air instead of a Liquid.

[@mikebrant192]

Switchgear electrician here. Better to split power output into three branches, with separate paths to shore. Yes, more expense, but also cables are less expensive (thinner) and three is more reliable than one. We know that electric fields are used by a variety of aquatic critters for sensing, and we don't know how they will react.

[@TrailBlazer5280]

There's sort of like a perpetual motion taint to wave energy that makes it harder to achieve. Moving water, thats great. Reversing direction, not so great. But with the gearboxes, like an automatic watch, we can engineer past that limitation

[@benjialexander5850]

5:25 Wait Dr House made that? lol

[@WillowEpp]

Neat stuff, but still has one of the most pressing issues as wind power: _too much copper._ It's monstrously inefficient to be making so many small generators.

[@Golden_SnowFlake]

The best part, is you don't need any expensive limited materials.

[@MickDunn-ql7si]

AS a side effect, if deployed in a pattern and equipped with suitable AI devices, these buoys could provide an effective defense against naval attacks on coasts.

[@chickenychickens5154]

Netflix: Are you still watching? Someone’s daughter:

[@craigjohnston313]

How does this system accomdate tides? Off the coast of Europe, these can run 7-10m.