physics

Wavegen

Wavegen is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Wavegen rather than just read about it. In short: Wavegen Limited (later Voith Hydro Wavegen Limited) was a wave energy company based in Inverness, Scotland. It was founded in 1990 by Allan Thomson.

Key takeaways

Wavegen belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Wavegen to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Wavegen from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Wavegen Limited (later Voith Hydro Wavegen Limited) was a wave energy company based in Inverness, Scotland. It was founded in 1990 by Allan Thomson. It was sold to Voith Hydro in 2005, and they closed the company in 2013.

History In 2000, Wavegen became the first company in the world to connect a commercial scale wave energy device (LIMPET) to the grid on the Scottish island of Islay. The LIMPET (Land Installed Marine Powered Energy Transformer) is a shoreline device which produces power from an oscillating water column. In May 2005, Wavegen was bought by Voith Hydro, a subsidiary of Voith. Together with the Faroese power company SEV, Wavegen had planned to develop the SeWave wave energy plant project in Nípanin in the Faroe Islands. It was also the developer of the Siadar Wave Energy Project. On 17 November 2011, Wavegen put into operation the world's first commercial full life Limpet wave power plant. The 300-kW plant was sold to Ente Vasco de la Energía in Spain. In March 2013 Voith Hydro decided to close down Wavegen choosing to concentrate on tidal power projects.

See also Aquamarine Power Oyster wave energy converter

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Wavegen

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Wavegen claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Wavegen before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Wavegen ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Wavegen

In research: Wavegen appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Wavegen in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Wavegen is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1990 establishments in Scotland, 2005 mergers and acquisitions, 2013 disestablishments in Scotland, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Wavegen outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Wavegen in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Wavegen means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Wavegen out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Wavegen in simple terms?

Wavegen Limited (later Voith Hydro Wavegen Limited) was a wave energy company based in Inverness, Scotland. It was founded in 1990 by Allan Thomson.

Why does Wavegen matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Wavegen?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Wavegen.