Tensegrity Adaptive-Geometry Wave Energy Converter (TAGWEC)

The proposed device is a novel wave energy harvesting system with shape-changing capabilities intended to increase system survivability during extreme weather, increase energy generation, and facilitate large-scale deployment. The device consists of a floating buoy connected to a submerged reaction plate by a spar. The relative motion of the buoy and reaction plate, caused by water waves, generates electric power through a power-take-off system. The novelty of the proposed design lies in the changing geometry capability through tensegrity. Devices designed using tensegrity principles are lightweight and deformable, having the ability to quickly toggle between shape configurations with low actuation cost. These characteristics allow for ease of stowage and deployment in addition to enhanced wave-energy converter (WEC) performance and lifetime. The efficiency of this floating-point absorber WEC concept can be significantly increased by incorporating an automatic control that optimizes the relative motion between device components, i.e., the buoy and reaction plate. This control scheme tunes the oscillation of the device to the incident wave elevation by changing the size and shape of the device components, maximizing the power transfer from the wave to the device. The invention constitutes the tensegrity design with accompanying control scheme.  The novelty of the proposed design lies in the changing geometry capability through tensegrity. The invention constitutes the tensegrity design with accompanying control scheme.

Advantages:

• The efficiency of this floating-point absorber WEC concept can be significantly increased by incorporating an automatic control that optimizes the relative motion between device components.
• This control scheme tunes the oscillation of the device to the incident wave elevation by changing the size and shape of the device components, maximizing the power transfer from the wave to the device.