Surf's Up

For most of its history Float Inc has developed large pneumatically-stabilized off-shore floating platforms for various industrial and military applications. Float is now developing technology that uses the movement of ocean waves to generate electricity. Here's an excerpt from Float's web site:

Wave energy is, in effect, a stored and concentrated form of solar energy, since the winds that produce waves are caused by pressure differences in the atmosphere arising from solar radiation. Waves transmit this energy thousands of miles with minimal loss. Wave size is a function of the wind's speed, how long it blows, and fetch, which is the distance over which it blows.

The Oscillating Water Column (OWC) has been shown to work well in calm conditions and in high-surf conditions. It also has a minimal number of moving parts so it can survive in salty, wet condition for a long time. An OWC is a vertical hollow pipe or column that is partially submerged and held stationary. As the water level inside the column goes up and down with wave movement, the air in the upper end of the column enters and leaves. It is this air movement that is captured to turn a turbine.

Float Inc.'s floating platform product's perimeter is coincidentally lined with columns that attenuate the water motion and stabilize the platform. These existing columns then serve double duty as electrical generators.