Mangalore: A Bengaluru-based mechanical engineer has developed a prototype device to generate electricity from ocean waves. He says it is more efficient than wave energy converters. The device was successfully tested at Lighthouse Beach in Suratkal, Mangalore.
K. Vishwanath, a Nelamangala-based businessman and owner of Shree Maruti Energy Systems, started experimenting with wave energy conversion in 2015.
After nearly a decade of research and 15 experiments at various locations in coastal Karnataka, including Gokarna and Murudeshwar, he has made progress during his third experiment at Suratkal beach.
Prototype device to generate electricity from ocean waves: Bengaluru-based engineer’s achievement
Each experiment involved a different design of the wave energy converter, says Vishwanath, a mechanical engineering graduate from Chikkamagaluru’s Adichunchanagiri Institute of Technology, who developed the device.
How does it work?
The 1-kilowatt prototype device produces 300 to 400 watts. It costs about Rs 4 lakh. Unlike traditional wave energy systems that convert wave motion into hydraulic or pneumatic power before generating electricity, this one converts mechanical energy into electrical energy, improving overall efficiency.
It uses a flap-type mechanism submerged in water at a depth of about six feet. The flap oscillates back and forth with the incoming waves. This oscillating motion is converted into rotational energy, which is then converted into electrical energy.
Vishwanath says he plans to increase the capacity of his prototype from 1 kW to 25 kW and eventually to 250 kW. He has filed a patent application for his device in Chennai.