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Wellesley College

Publication Date

Fall 2019

Program Name

Iceland: Climate Change and The Arctic

Abstract

Currently, less than 5% of our oceans are comprehensively monitored and much more ocean data is needed to facilitate understanding of ocean physics, carbon cycling, and ocean ecosystems. Today, most autonomous ocean sensors are powered by primary battery, which have both limited capacity and lifetime. The goal of this research is to design a small, accessible renewable wave energy device to power autonomous free-floating ocean sensors. By designing a cheap, accessible, and simple wave energy converter, this work hopes to make ocean sensor deployment easier and cheaper for researchers, increase the lifetime of autonomous ocean sensors, and reduce the reliance on non-renewable battery power sources. This work presents the final mechanical and electrical designs for a linear point absorber wave energy converter to power a range of ocean sensors.

Disciplines

Climate | Energy Systems | Environmental Monitoring | Environmental Sciences | Environmental Studies | Oceanography | Power and Energy

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