VATIS UPDATE Article

Researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST), Japan, have outlined plans for a wave energy turbine that could provide protection for the shore while also generating power from the waves. The project being developed by OIST team involves placing turbines at key locations near the shoreline, such as nearby tetrapods or among coral reefs, to generate energy.

Each location allows the turbines to be exposed to ideal wave conditions that allow them not only to generate clean and renewable energy, but also to help protect the coasts from erosion while being affordable for those with limited funding and infrastructure. According to OIST, the turbines themselves are built to withstand the forces thrust upon them during harsh wave conditions as well as extreme weather, such as typhoons.

The blade design and materials are inspired by dolphin fins – they are flexible, and thus able to release stress rather than remain rigid and risk breakage. The five-blade turbine has a diameter of about 0.7 meters. Its blades rotate on their axis when influenced by ocean wave. The axis is attached to a permanent magnet electric generator that transforms the ocean wave energy into usable electricity.