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With fossil fuels accounting for almost 90% of global CO2 emissions annually, our focus should be on the switch to cleaner and greener forms of energy. One of these forms is wave power which harnesses the natural movement of the sea to generate electricity. As a school situated on the sea, we were particularly interested in the potential of this source of energy and the possibilities of it in our school.
We decided to create our own way of generating current through wave power in our lab. First, we used Lego to build a wave generator so we could have our own ripple tank to replicate the action of the sea. We then created a version of the point absorbers used in wave power out of the materials available in our school lab. Combining these two elements, we had a way of replicating the creation of wave power. Connecting our apparatus to a galvanometer meant that we could show the presence of current, and also how different factors affected the amount produced.
Some factors we investigated were the speed of the waves, the size and weight of the buoy, the use of slits to create constructive and destructive interference and the position of the buoy. We used the outcomes of our investigations to create the most efficient version of our generator that we could.
Our project has left us with knowledge of a new, clean way of producing energy. With further development, perhaps we could even bring in a generator to power our school, using the resource right outside our windows.
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