A buoyant hydrodynamic pump is disclosed that can float on a surface of a body of water over which waves tend to pass. The pump incorporates an open-bottomed tube with a constriction. The tube partially encloses a substantial volume of water with which the tube's constriction interacts, creating and/or amplifying oscillations therein in response to wave action. Wave-driven oscillations result in periodic upward ejections of portions of the water inside the tube that can be collected in a reservoir that is at least partially positioned above the mean water level of the body of water, or pressurized by compressed air or gas, or both. Water within such a reservoir may return to the body of water via a turbine, thereby generating electrical power (making the device a wave engine), or else the device's pumping action can be used for other purposes such as water circulation, propulsion, or cloud seeding.

A buoyant wave energy device is disclosed that incorporates an open-bottomed tube of substantial length in which is partially enclosed a first body of water that oscillates in response to wave action. The device incorporates a buoy to which an upper end of the tube is connected and inside of which is trapped a second body of water of substantial mass. A differential phase in the oscillations of the water trapped in the tube, and the oscillations of the buoy of augmented mass, result in the periodic compression of a pocket of air trapped at the top of the tube, and in the subsequent expulsion of pressurized air through a turbine, thereby generating electrical power.

A device for collecting renewable energy includes two superposed caissons and the height of which is small in comparison with the expanse of the device which are floating or secured to a fixed or shoreline structure. A plurality of similar tubes with vertical axes is distributed over the expanse of the caissons, extending down beneath the caissons, open at their lower ends immersed in the water. Upper ends are inset into the caissons and have a valve that opens from the inside of the tube toward the upper caisson, and with a valve opening from the lower caisson toward the inside of the tube. Air is driven into the upper caisson by the rise in water level in some of the tube and conveyed through a turbine generator unit which produces electricity, then returns into the lower caisson suction into tubes in which the water level is falling.

An improved ocean wave energy extraction system is disclosed. The system includes at least one duct for receiving an oscillating water column. The duct has a first segment, a second segment arranged transversely to the first segment and a flow control segment intermediate the first and second segments. The flow control segment is configured to inhibit turbulent flow of the oscillating water column flowing within the duct. A turbine is in fluid communication with the second segment of the duct such that the turbine is driven by the fluid flow which is generated by the oscillations of the oscillating water column within the duct. The turbine rotates an electric generator to thereby generate electrical energy.

Methods, systems, and devices are disclosed for wave power generation. In one aspect, a wave power generator device includes a stator assembly and a rotor assembly encased within a tube frame. The stator assembly includes an array of inductor coils in a fixed position within a cavity of the tube frame and a plurality of bearings coupled to the tube frame. The rotor assembly includes a turbine rotor having a central hub and peripheral blades coupled to a high inertia annular flywheel that is moveably engaged with the bearings of the stator assembly, and an array of magnets arranged to be evenly spaced and of alternating axial polarity from one another extending from the annular flywheel into the cavity between the array of inductor coils, such that electric currents are produced based on magnetic field interaction of the magnets with the inductor coils during the rotation of the annular flywheel.

Disclosed is a system for deploying, stationing, and translocating buoyant wind- and wave-energy converters and/or other buoyant structures or devices, as well as farms of same. Also disclosed is a novel apparatus and/or machine comprising a farm of buoyant wave energy converters deployed by said method and/or configured to be deployed by said method.

An energy storage and regeneration system that converts irregular, non-constant, and variable input power to regular, constant, and controlled output power using hydraulics whereby the irregular input power is used to pump hydraulic fluid into an accumulator array where it is stored pressurized. Energy is released in a controlled fashion using a hydraulic motor operated by the pressurized hydraulic fluid from the accumulator array, in accordance with the specified power demand. One or more power units may be deployed depending on the amount of energy required at the output. Each power unit includes a hydraulic motor and associated floating accumulator whose internal pressure is controlled to maintain a substantially constant pressure differential across its associated motor. The system can be integrated into various energy system sources including renewable energy such as wind, PV or thermal solar, wave, tidal, etc.

A wave energy converter to convert energy conveyed in ocean waves propagating in a wave propagation direction in an ocean environment and received at the converter into generated power includes a plurality of columns which are in fluidic communication via corresponding ports to the ocean waves received at the converter. The ports are arranged substantially in series along the wave propagation direction, and the ports are of progressively greater depth into the ocean environment along the wave propagation direction to cause the ocean waves to propagate in a downwardly-directed manner when received at the ports. The plurality of columns are arranged so that that their elongate axes are substantially aligned along a first direction, and that the ports have corresponding port angles relative to the first direction which are progressively larger as the ports (50) are of progressively greater depth.

An oscillating water column (OWC) turbine and method of extracting energy therefrom is provided. The OWC turbine includes a shaft (101) rotatable about a central axis (103), and first and second ports (112, 114) disposed around the central axis. A flow passage (104) extends radially-inward from the ports and extends axially therebetween. Rotor blades (120) are coupled to the shaft, intersect the flow passage, and are offset from the central axis by a first distance. First guide vanes (116) intersect the flow passage and are disposed proximal the first port. The first guide vanes (116) include first and second stators (116a, b), the first stators (116a) being positioned between the first port (112) and the second stators (116b). Second guide vanes (118) intersect the flow passage and are disposed proximal the second port. The first and second guide vanes are offset from the central axis by a second distance that is greater than the first distance.

A turbine arrangement for a bi-directional reversing flow is provided. The turbine arrangement may include a rotor rotatably mounted to rotate about an axis of the turbine arrangement, and the rotor may have a plurality of rotor blades disposed circumferentially thereabout. A first set of guide vanes may be circumferentially disposed about the axis for directing the bi-directional reversing flow to and from the rotor blades via a first flow passaged defined by a first duct. A second set of guide vanes may be axially spaced from the first set of guide vanes and circumferentially disposed about the axis for directing the bi-directional reversing flow to and from the rotor blades via a second flow passage defined by a second duct. The guide vanes may be disposed at a greater radius than the rotor blades, such that the guide vanes are radially offset from the rotor blades.