In search of low-cost wave energy

Costs will remain high until technology stabilises and there is serious scaling up in capacity. The potential is huge for India and the world

One of the least used forms of renewable energy is wave energy from the ocean. Waves generate a lot of power. If this can be harnessed and converted into electricity, it is also endlessly renewable. Unlike solar or wind, it’s 24x7 under most weather conditions.
 
Although the idea has been around for a long time, it remains a low-key research area. The first attempts to use waves go back to 1799 when French polymath, Pierre-Simon Girard, invented a water turbine and filed patents. Modern experiments were pioneered by Yoshio Masuda in the 1940s. Masuda, a commander in the Imperial