Process — Electricity from ocean waves

The diagram shows how a wave-energy station built on the shoreline converts the rise and fall of waves into electricity.

Overall, the station is essentially a concrete chamber containing a column of seawater that moves up and down with every wave; the moving column pumps air through a turbine which — unusually — spins the same way regardless of which direction the air is flowing, so power is produced on both halves of each wave.

When a wave arrives, it forces water into the open base of the chamber and the water column rises. The air trapped above it is squeezed upwards and rushes through the turbine at the top of the chamber, spinning it, and the connected generator produces electricity, which is carried to the grid.

As the wave retreats, the process reverses: the column falls, and air is sucked back down into the chamber through the same opening. Thanks to the turbine''s special design, this reversed airflow spins it in the same direction as before, so generation never stops. The cycle then repeats with the next wave — a continuous, fuel-free rhythm set entirely by the sea.