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Wave power availability in the NE Atlantic

Nature volume 263, pages 223–226 (1976)Cite this article

Abstract

FOLLOWING Salter's1 proposals for the extraction of energy from sea waves, we are working on the prediction of wave power output from devices situated at favourable coastal sites around the UK. While it is hoped that adequate spectral data from sites closer inshore will become available within the next year or so, the best present data for the North-east Atlantic are from O.W.S. India2. We describe here the power available and, on simplified assumptions, the amount that might be extracted by ducks of various diameters. (The Salter ‘duck’ is a rocking cam-shaped device which is designed to give a high efficiency of energy extraction over a wide frequency band3.) Confirmation of the validity of the important assumption of additivity of power outputs from wave components of different periods is provided in a separate paper4.

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References

  1. Salter, S. H., Nature, 249, 720–724 (1974).

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  2. Hoffman, D., Sampling of Ocean Wave Spectra at North Atlantic Station India (SNAME, New York).

  3. Salter, S. H., Jeffrey, D. C., and Taylor, J. R. M., The Naval Architect, 1, 21–24 (1976).

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  4. Mollison, D., Salter, S. H., and Taylor, J. R. M., Edinburgh Wave Power Project Report No. 32 (1976).

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  5. Pierson, W. J., and Moskowitz, L., J. geophys. Res., 69, 5181–5190 (1964).

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  6. Whittington, H. W., Edinburgh Wave Power Project Report No. 33 (1976).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Actuarial Mathematics and Statistics, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK

    DENIS MOLLISON

  2. Department of Computer Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104

    O. P. BUNEMAN

  3. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    S. H. SALTER

Authors
  1. DENIS MOLLISON
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  2. O. P. BUNEMAN
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  3. S. H. SALTER
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MOLLISON, D., BUNEMAN, O. & SALTER, S. Wave power availability in the NE Atlantic. Nature 263, 223–226 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/263223a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/263223a0

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