A machine and process to compress ambient air using natural swell of ocean waves to store energy. The devise is a bi-directional air pump operated by ocean wave power of water buoyancy as well as earth gravity in a pressure vessel using a piston. The machine uses a large surface area as float connected by a rod to a small area as piston, housed in a pressure vessel to multiply compression of air. The compression of air is directly proportional to the respective surface areas of float to the piston attached with a rod inside the pressure vessel. An array of similar machines can be employed to multiply potential energy output.

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 wave energy capture system deployed in water converts mechanical motion induced by waves in the water to electrical energy. A controller of the wave energy capture system receives input regarding real-time wave conditions in a vicinity of the wave energy capture system. The controller applies a control model to the received input to select a value of a control parameter for the wave energy capture system, where the control model includes a model that has been trained using machine learning to take wave condition data as input and to output control parameter values selected based on the wave condition data in order to increase an amount of energy captured by the wave energy capture system. The controller implements the selected value of the control parameter on the wave energy capture system.

A sea wave power plant for generating electricity, and for supplying high pressure fluids to a water purification system. The power plant includes two compartments adjustable differential hydro cylinders that are assembled on floaters, an axial piston variable motor, a system for protecting the floaters in periods of storm in a way that the floater are positioned horizontally outside the water, and an automation sub-system. The wave power plant is combined of several modular units that each one of them serves as independent sea water power plan.

An active resonance C-type buoyant flap wave energy converter includes a rigid frame, a flap, a mass center adjustment assembly and a power generation assembly. The rigid frame is connected to a marine facility, and includes a main body and a support shaft provided at a bottom thereof. The flap is swingingly arranged on the support shaft. The flap is located under water surface, and swings back and forth around the support shaft under an action of a wave. The mass center adjustment assembly is configured to adjust a mass center of the flap to make a natural period of the flap same as a wave period, so as to achieve a resonance between the flap and the wave. The power generation assembly is arranged on the support shaft and is located in the flap.

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.

An apparatus and method for extracting energy from an oscillating working fluid, such as ocean waves includes an apparatus (10) having an internal flow passage (40) for the working fluid, a turbine (44) and a flow control device (38), each of the turbine (44) and the flow control device (38) being in direct fluid communication with the flow passage (40), where the flow control device is selectively moveable between a first configuration in which the flow control device is open to allow a flow of the working fluid, such as air, to exit the flow passage therethrough, and a second configuration in which the flow control device restricts a flow of the working fluid therethrough, the working fluid then entering the flow passage via the turbine, which can be harnessed to generate electricity.

A method of controlling energy conversion and/or applied wave loads for a membrane power conversion wave energy converter (WEC) having a longitudinal axis and at least one cell having a membrane. The method includes acquiring data and determining a value relating to a local sea state at the WEC or to a WEC state of the WEC. Depending on the value determined from the acquired data, one or both of the vertical position of the at least one WEC cell relative to a free surface at still water and/or the angle of incidence of the WEC is adjusted.

A wave energy converter (WEC) 10 has a body portion 18 with a face 20 and at least one flexible membrane 16 bounding at least part of a volume of a fluid to form a variable volume cell 22. The membrane is inclined from vertical providing a flow smoothed passage for wave energy from a wave 14 to travel over the WEC whilst deforming the at least one membrane towards the body to compress the fluid. The cell(s) can be submerged or floating. The inclination of the at least one membrane assists conversion of potential and kinetic energy of the wave to pressure within the fluid. Fluid pressure within the WEC cell(s) and/or system can be optimised to suit wave and/or performance conditions.

A drive assembly is provided suitable for aiding in the conversion of wave energy to useful energy. The drive assembly of the present invention is arranged to transfer wave energy to an energy converter, the drive assembly comprising, an actuating member having an actuating length. The drive assembly further comprises a movable energy transfer member arranged to be coupled to an energy converter and arranged to transfer energy from the actuating member to said energy converter. The drive assembly further comprises an energy storing member comprising a biasing member coupled to one or more of: the actuating member, the energy transfer member; the energy storing member being arranged to cause the actuating member or the energy transfer member to move position. The actuating member is arranged to move the energy transfer member from a first stroke position to a second stroke position; and the first stroke position and the second stroke position define distal end points of a working stroke; the working stroke arranged so as to drive said energy converter.