An attenuator is a type of wave energy converter built from multiple floating segments connected to one another and oriented so its long axis lies perpendicular to the direction incoming waves travel. As swells pass along its length, the device flexes at the joints between segments, and that flexing motion drives hydraulic pumps housed at the joints to generate electricity. The best known attenuator design is the Pelamis Wave Energy Converter, a snake like chain of floating sections that was tested at full scale but is no longer being developed.
Facts
Partially Attested
Invented YearYoshio Masuda proposed the articulated-raft concept underlying attenuator-type wave energy converters in the 1950s; the source gives only the decade, not a specific year. Technology TypeA wave energy converter built from multiple floating segments connected to one another, generating power from the flexing motion created at their joints as swells pass 1 Classification
MaturityTRL 3: Experimental Proof of Concept 1 Sources
1. Wikipedia: Wave power
WikipediaSurface attenuator section
These devices use multiple floating segments connected to one another.
History section
Among these was the concept of extracting power from the angular motion at the joints of an articulated raft, which Masuda proposed in the 1950s.
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