Oyster Wave Energy Converter

The Oyster wave energy converter was a device that used the motion of ocean waves to generate electricity. It consisted of a hinged, buoyant flap anchored to the seabed close to shore; wave action rocked the flap back and forth, driving two hydraulic pistons that pumped pressurized water through a subsea pipeline to an onshore turbine coupled to a generator. The technology was developed by the Edinburgh-based company Aquamarine Power, building on research begun at Queen's University Belfast under Trevor Whittaker. A prototype was installed 400 meters offshore at the European Marine Energy Centre's Billia Croo site in Orkney, Scotland, and was connected to the National Grid in November 2009. A larger second-generation version, Oyster 800, was tested at the same site from 2012 to 2015, but the project did not reach commercial viability and Aquamarine Power ceased trading in 2015. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/