Design and Implementation of a New Wave Energy Harvester

Wave energy harvesting systems can be deployed underwater, at the sea surface, or in intermediate water depths. In this work, a new wave energy harvester with a broad frequency range for the surface waves is designed and implemented. Following the analytical formulation and theoretical design, optimization procedures are performed under low frequencies in order to optimize the magnetic flux and electrical power generation by minimizing the magnetic losses. The proposed harvester under the name Wave Energy Converter with Vertically-moving Fan (WECVF), uses Faraday’s induction law to generate electricity from the vibrations of the sea surface. For this, a vertically-moving fan positioned in front of the lever arm is used. The wave energy harvester is designed to float due to a large plate positioned under the stable part of the electromagnet, and the lever arm can move independently from the wave converter itself. While the proposed WECVF system achieves a power density of 63.33 μW/cm³, it demonstrates effective operation within the investigated frequency range of 0.0045–0.555 Hz. The harvester produces a maximum output voltage of approximately 300 mV and a maximum average power of 19 mW at an optimal electrical load of 2 Ω. These quantitative results demonstrate a favorable trade-off between compact device size, output performance, and low-frequency operational capability, highlighting the potential of the proposed WECVF for distributed marine energy harvesting under irregular wave conditions. Owing to its sensitivity to vertical wave displacement and its modular architecture, multiple WECVF units can be electrically connected in series or parallel to increase the output voltage or current according to the application requirements. This scalability makes the proposed harvester a promising solution for powering distributed low-power marine sensors, wireless monitoring systems, and other autonomous offshore devices.