About Us                                                                                                       

OWECO Ocean Wave Energy Company is developing the OWEC® Ocean Wave Energy Converter through an active research program. OWEC® was conceived while the inventor was an undergraduate architecture student with growing interest in industrial design. As participant in a studio, "Ocean Habitat", having primary design focus on living and research spaces at water's edge, on the ocean hydroface, or in submerged environs, the inventor made organics sketches including photosynthetically activated building constructions and research spheres arranged to generally resemble octopus shapes. Spherical bodies would be interconnected by new materials, analogous to muscle tissue, that electrochemically contract or expand to situate spheres at particular depths of research interest. While technologically unfeasible in 1978, further exploration disclosed water waves nature and, particularly, attenuation of water particle motion correspondent to depth. Neutral buoyancy concepts embellished the design approach. Consideration of relative distance between two spherical buoys, with one floating on hydroface and the other suspended at essentially undisturbed strata, revealed significant change from effective wave motion. Table tennis ball and wire sketch models were fabricated and tested in water filled wastebaskets and at bay side. Simple beginnings led to preliminary design drawings of the first thus termed "OWEC® Ocean Wave Energy Converter". Within one week of OWEC® conception, adverse effects of petroleum combustion caused the death of a companion and extreme illness to the inventor. During recovery, a special study program permitted singular development of viable OWEC® technology leading to 1980 U.S. Patent 4,232,230.

OWECO experimented with the first wave-driven linear electrical generator, rectifier designs, buoy shapes, construction materials, and 1982 wave tank tests of three working models. Examination of OWEC® operation elucidated further comprehensive design requirements that culminated in 1987 U.S. Patent 4,672,222 authored, drafted, and prosecuted by the inventor. OWECO completed full size component trials for 1989 US Coast Guard Small Business Innovation Research activity. Tests rendered power points used to refine a technology engineering program that virtually describes all ranges of wave energy input, module sizes, and resulting electrical energy. Since 2000, OWECO hosts international engineering interns working on hundreds of computational fluid dynamic and structural analyses. Electrical control and power take-off are examined as related to large buoy dynamics. This work resulted in 2008 U.S. Patent 7,352,073. Pending experiment and sea trial data verify results and raise program accuracy. Then the program is a most important tool for system modeling, module specifications, manufacturing standards, and process control of scalable technology. Ongoing review of other proposed conversion methods confirms that large point absorber buoys have most advantageous qualities within real wave environments of wide energy bandwidth and diffuse nature.  The inventor's quest is to formulate non-polluting electrical generation means for producing recyclable hydrogen fuel devoid of harmful carbon monoxide toxins.

Our Mission

I.L. Roberts’ 1881 U.S. Patent 250,104 describes a machine for utilizing the power of water waves. This modular system of discrete reciprocating buoys with racks transmits torque to corresponding pinion gears mounted on common rotating axle. If general utility then developed to flourish, concurrent with early stages of electrification, perhaps would be minimal, allayed, or absent the deleterious results of subterranean fossil hydrocarbon retrieval, exploitation, and aerosolized dispensation within Earth’s biosphere. 97 years later, the OWEC® Ocean Wave Energy Converter was conceived at a time when inflated world market prices of refined petroleum, derivatives, and dependence on oil imports were perceived deterrents to domestic sovereignty. During this briefly described background, the Company mission focused on developing and providing modular, self stabilized OWEC® having qualities of high electrical generation efficiency from water waves, rugged reliability, low maintenance, and low ultimate cost. OWEC® applies to several conventional and emerging technologies. Commercial use of wide range and utility may be first promoted in relatively small-scale application. Intensifying electrical demand is predicted for assisting or replacing prime charging sources of discrete marine aids to navigation audiovisual signaling, environmental monitoring instrumentation, like installations requiring in situ electricity, or off-grid power supply. Autonomous systems and techniques are needed to supplant present electrical generation methods that are dependent upon regeneration from land-based sources. The practice of using non-renewable fuel or battery-powered equipment, for example, can require repeated service and component replacement operations during a performance period. While solar panels have been phased in to account for more specialized requirements, clouding and salt deposition effects remain problematic over large-scale ocean deployment. Costly maintenance frequency is extensively reduced when utilizing indigenous power supply of an efficient apparatus for converting the hydrokinetic energy of water wave fluctuations. Electrical energy for wider commercialization supports resource exploration, recovery, and processing facilities in diverse fields such as oil, gas, mineral, fishery, and aquaculture. Once deployed, wave energy conversion apparatus require no fuel or emissions retrofit. No hydrocarbon, particulates, CO, SO2, or Nox air pollutant waste streams are generated. Far reaching deployment of vast OWEC® installations is anticipated to capacitate industrial activities that harmoniously utilize bounty of the world's oceans. Related to a broad desire for providing environmentally cyclable fuel and sea level management, impending critical needs are satiated by very large-scale desalination/resalination operations for water purification and very large-scale electrolysis operations for hydrogen gas production from seawater. Toward power, water, and climate management, OWEC® Ocean Wave Energy Converter modules may symbiotically function as macro electrolyzers and aerohydrators of the hydrologic cycle.

Humanity's growth to over 6.9 billion people, at nearly 95 million per year, adds over one million new people every 4 days. Predictive models conclude that 10 to 11 billion will inhabit Earth by the year 2050. That may be low. Absent of humility, swelling masses of 98.6º Fahrenheit people, petroleum by-product emissions, and attendant "meaningful life activities" defer natural accountability to false economies of easy open-ended emissions practices. Some regions exhibit extreme degradation in the form of perpetual auto and stack excretions hanging in the still, 115º Fahrenheit, air. Vehicle owners cheaply obtain automotive inspection stickers without inspector scrutiny. "Interests abroad" export messy production methods to those countries with lax environmental regard. Well-documented, more understood, industry contested effects of past century combustive endeavors, effluent from more than 1 billion automobiles, manufacturing process, and improperly disposed plastic flow of limited or trivial function consumables are evidenced throughout oft ill colored atmosphere, troposphere, and hydrosphere. Since measurements began in 1970, genocidal worldwide hydrocarbon combustion and other deleterious by-product endeavors have become burgeoning sources of noxious effluents. Though discharge from specific industrialized areas relatively pale or exceed and natural seafloor oil vents contribute to the mix, overall, humanity is scraping by on hacks and coughs of a petroleum addiction that seemingly won't abate until dry reserves. The abuse symptomatically contributes to expansion of carbon dioxide and hydrocarbon settlement in a gaseous greenhouse ceiling that is measurably choking the biosphere while letting in more of the sun's heat than is emitted. The previous decade had the warmest years in at least six centuries and records continue to be broken. 2011 is tied for the 10th hottest year, since records began in 1850, and Arctic sea ice has shrunk to record-low volumes. The 13 hottest years on record have occurred in the last 15 years. Cutting into nature's subtle dance, such climate forcing may precede eventual atmospheric dissolution leading to intolerably cold climate.

Changing global surface temperature and thermohaline trends manifest currently observable phenomena as shifting climate zones producing increased force and frequency of extreme storm weather and precipitation intensity. Melting and displacement of approximately 14,000 square miles of land ice into the sea per year, in addition to recent large ice shelf calving and thermal expansion of oceans, is estimated to result in raised worldwide sea levels. Latest potential flooding calculations of polar ice melt predict worldwide sea levels 15 feet above normal. Floods reduce wetland acreage and expand sediment and nutrient flows causing adverse impacts on water quality and reduced aquatic habitat. Earthward descending toxic particulates, runoff, and spillage adsorbed and absorbed in the hydrologic cycle are cause of worldwide 50% decline in fresh water quality and 30% decline in saltwater quality. Rampant fresh water shortages are predicted within fifty years. Even during relatively short-term study, estimations merit continuous revision as populations of more delicate organisms indicate accelerating debility. Within specific regions, for example, climate chemical elements bleach coral and disrupt life cycles. "All amphibian biologists are now convinced that something unusual and catastrophic is happening to amphibians. We also think the amphibians are telling us humans something has happened to the habitat we share with the frogs," stated Ron Heyer of the Smithsonian Institution. "In some sites we are actually witnessing the decline as we try to study it," said Gary Fellers, a research biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. Possible factors include ultraviolet radiation allowed through the thinning ozone layer, climate change, and endocrine disrupting chemicals. Such chemicals can cause deformities and interfere with reproduction.

IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change workshops focus on methods for qualifying the extent of near current global condition and projected trends. Assorted models use reference frames to apportion complicated calculations including solar radiation, global surface temperature/pressure, plant growth, carbon cycles, aerosols, salinity transport cycles, Earth rotation, and other factors such as seasonal radiative forcing by oceanic whitecaps.  During participation with the 2002 workshop, and as ongoing technical reviewer, it has until recently been disheartening to witness unbalanced reporting and controversy regarding minority opinion exclusion in risk assessment techniques. Such bias compromised objective consensus documents and, despite the collective intelligence resource, possible solutions to global climate change were not then tabled. Both emissions reduction and carbon sequestration are required in addition to renewable energy impementation. Ensuing promotion of oxymoronic “clean coal” sin gas technology, pre-combustion, post-combustion, oxyfiring, and underground or deep-sea carbon dioxide storage heavily rely upon scrubbing and sequestration techniques for validating appearance of zero carbon dioxide emissions. Placement in such "out of mind" regions serves to increase climate science complexity as several important factors are difficult to project and reliably monitor for specific locations. Conflicting with current land use, naturally symbiotic solutions include phased programs of widespread reforestation, and possibly afforestation, covering very large areas. In like manner nuclear energy industries, including market application for clean air credit as related to greenhouse gas reduction, omit true cost of irremediable waste seepage. Plutonium or uranium enrichment and surface dispersal is intrinsically hazardous. Notions of its repose within subductive plates of Earth’s crust, in mountains, caves, oceans, or aboard space bound vessels obviate objective risk assessment of imminent consequence. Working knowledge is insufficient of active global tectonic and removed resource cavitation patterns. The most appropriate location for direct thermonuclear activity is equivalent distance between core and ground and sun. Ignoring true  cost, largely allayed to future generations, environmental clean up is accounted an economic contributor to Gross Domestic Product. Like wind cast bits of degraded plastic tarpaulin amongst grounded leafs in autumn woods, inability to adequately process even society’s garbage remains problematic. Interim steps to promote cellulosic ethanol and biodiesels allay our most epochal transition toward water-based fuels.

 Pichic Bay Beach at Lo Sho Shing, Lamma Island 2011

With development of the long foretold “hydrogen economy”, the above industries continue incomplete and false accounting to advocate respectively based methods for segregating detrimental process effluents while producing hydrogen gas. This status began change with 2008 IPCC draft documents, further with 2011 "Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation", and finally the fallout from recent events. Immediate effacement to following generations of all life must surmount irresponsibility and manifest extremely large improvements conveyed over very wide basis. United Nations, World Energy Council, and others need ignore politico-geographic lines and quest to minimize border bashing, tropospheric and hydrospheric born chemical permutations of human endeavor. As water, land, and natural entities are compromised, a most epochal energy-use transition is required from thriftless dispersion of permanently depletable elemental resources as fossil hydrocarbon fuels. Heads in the sand must stop wanton combustion practices and disposable flow of limited use consumer "goods". Manufacture operations need incorporate methods that reserve and recycle petroleum resources, principally, for supplying material value in beneficial or specialized application. A variety of medical or renewable energy conversion components are most suitably fabricated with certain plastics. Despite malaise, present capability imbues immediately attainable technology that mitigates these most serious problems. Industrial discovery of a repeating polylimonene carbonate polymer comprises a carbon dioxide catalyst and limonene oxide produced from orange peel oils. Having characteristics of polystyrene, the material may form elegant carbon sequestration application such as closed cell foam where required in buoyant vessels.  Land-based solar and wind energy conversion installations also have become more widely adapted. Small-scale success promoted quantity field arrays melding with expanding population zones and naturally important areas.  Industry plans of large-scale nearshore wind farms also are hampered by arising public contention for naturally clear horizon. With some reoccurrence, audiovisual impact of wind turbine tower vertical structures and avian or signal interference direct deployment toward offshore seas. There, floating structure blade clearance must extend sufficient height, above the highest wave, frequently requiring submerged counterweight of substantial size.

Any human activity or construct inherently changes the hitherto pristine natural environment in which it exists. Some well-intended works, particularly constructions near land/water interface, often have detrimental effect that was not predetermined. Technological interaction requires a carefully monitored and controlled approach. Within ocean environs, onshore and nearshore littoral zones comprise biodiverse processes that are best left unhindered. OWEC® deployment is intended for offshore and deep ocean application. Such placement, whether OWEC® systems or other, also has intrinsic effect which may comprise negative or beneficial attributes. Within context of wide scale deployment, for example, prudence considers barnacle and seaweed encrustation that would engender habitat change and subsequent marine life redistribution, sunlight blocking of upper layers, aerohydration manipulation, and other considerable factors. Yet, more viable opportunity for minimized perturbation lies in deeper ocean sites that remain a last earthbound frontier critical for continued sustentation.

The oceans cover nearly three quarters of Earth's surface with water film 139.4 million "square" miles in breadth and average depth of 2.4 miles, a delicate fraction of earth's 7,914 mile diameter. The dynamic hydrogen oxygen hydrosphere, churning toward calm of equilibrium between air, fresh precipitation, and salty evaporation, is a continually self-balancing flux agent common to celestial and terrestrial forces. Waters respond in direct synergetic reaction to impingements from asymmetric gravitational rotations of heavenly bodies coupled with climatic effects of the sun's energy upon spherical surface, subsequent flows of thermal and pressure gradients, continuous motion of winds and clouds, seismic activity, and large school movement. Its currents and eddies cause tertiary movements that merge, combine or cancel, to circulate surface disturbances over wide range of amplitude from a smallest ripple to rogues and the biggest tsunami. Primarily caused by interaction of winds with the hydroface, water wave incidence at deep ocean sites is several times the energy at adjacent coastal locations. Performance measures are characterized by oscillating low frequency energy regularly transporting unimpeded for several miles, large storm forces, and irregular variation over wide range of wave size, length, period, direction, and duration. Prevailing energetic wavescapes are generated from at least two directions of procession that form predominantly parallelogramic interference undulations. At depths below such activity, pressure and viscous shear attenuate water particle motion in orbital, trochoidal patterns.

Incessant troughs and crests passage over particular ocean point imbibes consistent changes in vertical distance. Given this continually operative source of fluctuating motion, all that is needed to satiate an increasing need for humanly useful energy are properly located electrical and support apparatus. Any system that harmoniously converts for use and regenerates these energies to original form may be deemed perpetual for as long a time as its apparatus is operative. Perpetual motion systems are distinct from alleged perpetual motion machines. They are comprised of interchangeable components that, if fail, are replaced with negligible effects to overall operation. Thus, friction and wear take their special case tolls without toil to a comprehensive modulated ocean wave energy conversion system.

As background primer, OWECO recommends viewing the 93 minute video, "Home", available in several languages.