An inertial system for the production of electricity and hydrogen from sea wave energy

Abstract

This paper aims at describing a small scale prototype of a complete wave energy converter system for hydrogen production promoting the opportunity of installation in Sicily, in the Mediterranean Sea. The opportunity to produce hydrogen from sea-water identifies ocean wave energy as the most promising solution for electricity generation including hydrogen production and storage. Even if hydrogen is considered one of the most promising secondary sources, criticism arises from both the academic and the industrial world mainly because hydrogen production requires electricity consumption. Furthermore, safety problems concerning hydrogen storage and transport are actually the main hindrance to full commercialization. In order to overcome production issues, hydrogen production and storage plants which are fully powered by renewable sources are continuously investigated. Advantages of the proposed system mainly rely on producing hydrogen by wave energy providing for on-board storage thus avoiding transport-related issues.