Wave Energy Coming to China

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Chinese scientists upgrade first experimental wave power station (7/25/05) reports on a typhoon resistant and more efficient wave power technology developed by Chinese scientists. According to the article:

You Yage, chief scientist for the Ocean Energy Division at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, led his team to introduce vibrating technologies into a newly-invented electricity generator, the Economic Daily reported Thursday.

"The new kind of generator is more efficient, lower-cost and typhoon-resistant," You was quoted as saying by the newspaper on Thursday. He said that the six-kw generator worked well after more than 20 typhoons.

The testing equipment can be used for electricity for light, computers, air conditioners and sea water desalination, the scientist said.

You and his team early this year developed the world's first experimental wave power station at sea near Shanwei City, in south China's Guangdong Province.

British and Portuguese scientists have researched wave power stations, but they have failed to reach technical expectations.

"Although ubiquitous at sea," You said, "wave power is one of the most unstable forms we can find on the earth."

You's team devised an energy-storage manostat, a device that can effectively transfer wave power to energy resulting from hydraulic pressure.