Energy from wave power: THI students develop concept for environmentally friendly power plant

How can ocean waves be used to produce energy for power generation in a meaningful way? Uela Lim and Jagrit Gupta, international students at Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (THI) in the Engineering and Management bachelor's programme, have developed a wave power plant that sustainably protects the environment.

Wave power plants are small hydroelectric power plants which, unlike tidal power plants, do not use the tides to generate energy, but the constant movement of the waves. Up to now, prototypes of this type of power plant have existed worldwide; this is where THI students see their potential.

The THI students' wave power plant uses both the swell and the coastal wind. It consists of a long chamber into which the water hitting the coast enters from one side and out of which it flows again on the other side. When the wave falls, the water takes the opposite path through the chamber. The same is true for the wind, which can be used both landwards and seawards. The power of waves and wind drives a turbine, which is itself located outside the water and therefore leaves the marine flora and fauna untouched.

The idea for the project came from Uela Lim, who comes from the Philippines - a country consisting of some 7,100 islands where a quarter of the population has no fixed access to electricity. The student's idea: If electricity can be generated from waves and wind, it will be possible to increasingly avoid importing and consuming fossil fuels for environmentally harmful power generators. Not only in the Philippines, but worldwide. So far, the THI students' wave power plant exists as a construction, the next step is to produce a prototype.

Renewable energies can also be studied full-time at THI. For this purpose, the university offers a Bachelor's degree course in Renewable Energies and an English-language Master's degree course in Renewable Energy Systems.