Shoring Up Wave Energy s Bottom Line Through Variable-Geometry WEC Designs
Jan. 13, 2021
Control is key: Variable-geometry components may improve energy capture and efficiency, reduce device costs, and pave the way to more affordable wave energy.
Image by Josh Bauer, NREL
Sustainable, plentiful wave energy holds vast potential for powering the lives of millions of Americans, with 50% of the U.S. population living within 50 miles of the shoreline; however, wave energy converters (WECs) are still in the early stages of technological development relative to more mature renewable energy alternatives.
A major challenge currently facing the technology is the achievement of cost competitiveness.
Top 20 NREL Stories of 2020
Dec. 22, 2020
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) researchers and staff reached countless goals and achieved numerous successes in science, partnerships, and technology commercialization in 2020, from breaking world records to launching new initiatives. Here are just a few of the highlights. Click on each headline to read more.
January 2
An oft-repeated refrain the sun does not always shine, is sometimes seen as an impediment to renewable energy. But it is also an impetus toward discovering the best ways to store that energy until it is needed.
January 28
During fiscal year 2019, NREL filed a record 124 patent applications and counted a
Making it tougher: Samarium cobalt magnet improvements planned in Ames Lab partnership
Ames Laboratory will partner with Electron Energy Corporation to improve a mainstay of magnet technology the samarium cobalt (SmCo) magnet.
Since their development in the 1960s, SmCo magnets have been a workhorse in modern technology, second only in strength to neodymium magnets. They are extremely resistant to demagnetization, and able to withstand high heat and corrosion.
That high magnetic power density and excellent temperature stability has made SmCo magnets the first choice for many uses, including military, spacecraft, aerospace, and marine applications.
The one downside to SmCo magnets? They are brittle. The process by which they are made, pressing metal powder into a solid mass, called sintering, makes them susceptible to chipping and fractures during the manufacturing process, as well as failure in any environment where there is too much vibration or mechanical shock.