A linear, universal modular absorber for wave energy conversion having a linear module incorporating two subassemblies: an actuated subassembly and a reference subassembly. The linear module contains a direct drive linear machine for converting linear mechanical motion into electrical energy. The linear module may be used between any two oscillating mechanical bodies, exploiting their relative motion, and adapting to the mechanical characteristics of the larger system in which it is deployed.

Disclosed herein is an array including at least ten wave power converters and at least one marine substation, each wave energy converter including a floating body, a wire, a housing anchored in a seabed or lakebed, the housing including a stator and a seesawing translator. The seesawing translator is connected via the wire to the floating body and each of the at least ten wave power converters is electrically connected to the marine substation. The at least ten wave energy converters are arranged on a symmetric, open, concave line, where a symmetry axis is at least more or less parallel to a primary wave direction and where the marine substation is arranged on the symmetry axis.

Disclosed herein is a method for determining the arrangement of wave energy converters in a wave power park in a seabed or lake area including the steps of: measuring wavelength and wave direction over a period of time, collecting all values measured for the wavelength and the wave direction in a matrix, statistically determining, from the matrix, a predominant wavelength and a predominant wave direction, and arranging an amount X of wave energy converters at regular intervals over a distance that corresponds to half of the length of the predominant wavelength or a multiple thereof, where the distance is measured in a direction at least more or less parallel to the predominant wave direction.

A wind turbine and wave/tidal energy apparatus has a vertical axis blade assembly, a lower cylindrical tube and an upper cylindrical tube. A rotor shaft is connected to the blade assembly and the upper cylindrical tube. A magnetic chamber is housed inside an upper cylindrical frame and is connected with the blade assembly through the rotor shaft. The frictionless levitation chamber is housed inside the upper cylindrical frame. The rotor shaft may protrude through the magnetic chamber into the frictionless levitation chamber and may have a magnet attached on the end of the rotor shaft. The magnetic array chamber is housed inside the lower cylindrical frame and may have a magnetic array axle with plurality of fixed magnets on it. The magnetic array axle may protrude into the frictionless levitation chamber and have a magnet attached to it. The floating inductive coil is located externally of the lower cylindrical frame.

A system and method for a for a wave energy converter device that is an axisymmetric point absorber which operates in a tension only condition over a large stroke that can operate in the given wave environment so as to eliminate the need for end stops in normal operation whereby the wave energy converter device has a floating hull with an interior Power Take Off (PTO) that uses an impedance control scheme for impedance matching with the wave environment in which it is deployed so as to maximize electrical power output as compared with a passively operating device of similar size.

A linear generator includes one or more helices, and one or more magnet members movable relative to a first helix to generate electric energy within the first helix. The first helix includes a first coil. The first helix and/or the magnet members have a density less than that of water such that the first helix and/or the magnet members have buoyant properties when the linear generator is at least partially submerged in the water.

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 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 energy harvester including a stand supporting the energy harvester in a fluid flow, i.e. a stream or current; at least one bluff body extending from the stand and positioned substantially perpendicular to the fluid flow, wherein each bluff body moves relative to the stand at least in a direction perpendicular to the fluid flow, wherein sufficient flow causes oscillating movement of the bluff body; and an electrical generator coupled to the stand and coupled to at least one bluff body converting the oscillating movement to electrical power, wherein the rate of electrical power generation per movement of the bluff body (or harvesting) is varied throughout a range of amplitudes of the oscillation of the bluff body and wherein the harvesting rate of at least one amplitude of the body oscillation is greater than the harvesting rate of at least one lower amplitude of the body oscillation.