Wave engines were early attempts to harness tidal energy for mechanical purposes. They used wave motion to pump seawater into tanks and rotate generators. Patents were issued in the late 1870s, and two types of wave engines were developed: those that depended on natural landscapes and those that relied on man-made constructions. The first wave engines were not intended to generate electricity, but later models took full advantage of electrification. Wave energy is still used to generate electricity today, with modern wave parks being built in Portugal, the US, and the UK.
The wave drive represents an early attempt to harness tidal energy and transform it into useful forms of energy. These engines were common in California in the late 1800s and early 1900s and can be considered precursors to more modern tidal power initiatives. The first wave engines were developed without the intention of generating electricity. The mechanical energy created by these engines was used to run pumps, mills and other devices. The specific technology used by each wave engine differed, although a common practice was the use of wave motion or tidal motion to pump seawater into tanks and then allow it to flow back and rotate various generators and other devices in the process .
Patents were first issued in the United States for wave motor devices in the late 1870s, and many different designs were created over the following decades. There were two predominant types of wave engine designs, the first of which depended in some way on the natural landscape. These wave engines used tunnels and shafts that were drilled into the cliffs. The power of the waves could then be used to pump seawater into the well, which could be used as a sort of catchment area. The seawater would then be channeled downstream and used to mechanically operate devices or to spin dynamos.
The other type of wave engine largely depended on man-made constructions. These engines were often built on docks and some were quite large. Wave motion was still typically used to drive pumps, and some of the same principles were employed to drive hydraulic generators and other devices. Some of these massive constructions collapsed into the ocean, while others were abandoned and have been buried under the sand ever since.
The first wave engines were built without the thought of generating electricity, as electrification did not begin in countries such as the United States and other industrialized nations until the mid-1880s. These early engines harnessed wave motion for many of the same purposes as for where hydraulic energy had been used since ancient times. The potential energy of the wave was typically used to drive mills and other mechanically driven devices.
Successive wave engines took full advantage of electrification and sought to provide electricity to coastal cities. Instead of driving mechanical devices, the hydraulic power of these engines was used to turn dynamos in much the same way that generator turbines are driven in modern hydroelectric dams. Although the technology has changed in the intervening years, wave energy is still used to generate electricity. The first modern wave park was built in Portugal and started producing electricity in 2008. Similar projects have also been proposed or implemented in areas such as the US and the UK.
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