A turbine comprises a shaft (20), a mass (10) eccentrically mounted for rotation about shaft (20), having its center of gravity at a distance from the shaft (20) and a motion base (15). Motion base (15) rigidly supports the shaft (20), and is configured for moving the shaft (20) in any direction of at least two degrees of movement freedom, except for heave. A floating vessel-turbine (120), encloses entirely the eccentrically rotating mass (10) and the motion base (15). The turbine converts ocean wave energy into useful energy, very efficiently.

A system includes a float including a drivetrain, a reaction structure coupled to the drivetrain by a tendon, and an extension spring having a first end coupled to a fixed point on the tendon and a second end configured to be disposed at a fixed location relative to the drivetrain. The extension spring is configured to experience an elastic force in response to tension on the first end of the extension spring away from the drivetrain.

A system includes a float including a drivetrain, a reaction structure coupled to the drivetrain by a tendon, and an extension spring having a first end coupled to a fixed point on the tendon and a second end configured to be disposed at a fixed location relative to the drivetrain. The extension spring is configured to experience an elastic force in response to tension on the first end of the extension spring away from the drivetrain.

Disclosed herein are wave energy harnessing devices including a first movable device configured to translate in response to a level change in a water body, a first float gear configured to rotate in in response to translation of the first movable device, a first input shaft rotatably driven by the first float gear in response to rotation of the first float gear, an output shaft restricted to rotation in a first direction, and a pair of one-way clutches coupled to the first input shaft and the output shaft and configured to operatively couple the first input shaft to the output shaft in response to rotation of the first input shaft either in the first direction or in a second direction.

A wave energy absorption and conversion device and a power generation system includes a floating body, a guiding shaft, a damping plate and a counteracting mechanism placed in a movement range of the damping plate. The guiding shaft is connected to the bottom of the floating body and passes through the center of the damping plate. The damping plate may slide on the guiding shaft. A counterforce generated by the counteracting mechanism is opposite to a natural moving direction of the damping plate, so that the damping plate can be kept in a relatively static state under a synergistic effect of the counteracting mechanism, and thereby, colliding of damping plate with constraint structures above and below can be prevented when floating body is moving up and down following waves. The power generation system includes the wave energy absorption and conversion device and a power generation system.

A point absorber wave energy converter is described. The converter uses a surface piercing float operably coupled to a water column tube extending downwardly from the surface piercing float, the tube being open at its bottom and being configured to accommodate a column of sea water therein. Air is trapped above that column within a plenum, the plenum being configured such that operably relative movement between the point absorber and the internal water column expands and compresses the trapped volume of air. That movement can be used to pump air through an open or a closed circuit power take off system. The open circuit power take-off system as described is suitable for other oscillating water column wave energy converters including both floating offshore and fixed shoreline installations.

A power generator or sensor apparatus is provided. Another aspect employs a hybrid triboelectric and electromagnetic generator. In still another aspect, a power generator is used for water wave energy harvesting. A further aspect provides a power generator including an outer housing with an electrical conductor on an exterior thereof, radial overlapping electrodes located within the housing with a dielectric layer between the electrodes, a plate linearly moveable within the housing, at least one magnet affixed to the plate, and at least one spring biasing the plate within the housing. Moreover, an aspect of the present power generator includes a modularized connection configuration to linearly secure together multiples of the housing.

An apparatus that floats at the surface of a body of water over which waves pass, causing a nominally vertical axis of the apparatus to tilt away from an axis normal to the resting surface of the body of water. Tilting allows a fluid to flow through a channel that in an un-tilted apparatus would require the gravitational potential energy of the fluid to increase (i.e., to flow uphill), but, because of the tilt allows the fluid to flow through the channel in a downhill direction. Successive wave-driven tilts of the apparatus incrementally raise water to a head from which a portion of its gravitational potential energy can be converted to electrical power by causing the water to return to a lower level by flowing through a water turbine, or through some other apparatus that performs a useful function when supplied with a flow of high-pressure water.

An apparatus that floats at the surface of a body of water over which waves pass, causing a nominally vertical axis of the apparatus to tilt away from an axis normal to the resting surface of the body of water. Tilting allows a fluid to flow through a channel that in an un-tilted apparatus would require the gravitational potential energy of the fluid to increase (i.e., to flow uphill), but, because of the tilt allows the fluid to flow through the channel in a downhill direction. Successive wave-driven tilts of the apparatus incrementally raise water to a head from which a portion of its gravitational potential energy can be converted to electrical power by causing the water to return to a lower level by flowing through a water turbine, or through some other apparatus that performs a useful function when supplied with a flow of high-pressure water.

A wave energy converter is provided which includes a central body including a nacelle, the nacelle housing at least one power take off. The wave energy converter also includes a first float and a first float arm coupled to the nacelle on a first side, and a second float and a second float arm coupled to the nacelle on a second side. The first float is rotatably coupled to the nacelle, the first float and the first float arm forming a first body configured to rotate, where the first body is operatively coupled to the at least one power take off such that relative motion between the first body and the central body generates energy in the at least one power take off. In one embodiment, the central body has a low reserve buoyancy, where the reserve buoyancy of the central body is lower than the reserve buoyancy of either of the first float and the second float, to minimize a heave response of the central body relative to the first float to increase output of the wave energy converter. In one embodiment, the central body includes a yoke extending downwardly from the nacelle, a plurality of lines attached to the base of the yoke, and a heave plate attached to the lower terminus of each of the plurality of lines.