Advances and challenges in ocean wave energy harvesting

A viable source of energy is becoming more important nowadays because of its availability and zero carbon emission, and therefore, a significant number of individuals are becoming interested in safer and cleaner renewable energy resources. Out of all the renewable energy options available, ocean wave energy is very promising because of its accessibility, abundance, and in addition to several possible transduction methods. However, as compared to other kinds of energy harvesting (EH) devices, wave energy harvesters are still not matured in the case of grid integration, mass production, and commercialization. In this paper, we present a brief review of several wave EH mechanisms such as triboelectric, piezoelectric, electromagnetic, etc. to harvest ocean wave energy, their working principle, structure-wise approaches, and the key findings from these devices. The theory of ocean waves, types of ocean wave energy harvesters, and transfer method of wave energy are also discussed in this article. Moreover, for all the mentioned architectures, a comparison table has also been provided where the output performance of several devices is compared. Finally, the study concludes by illustrating the challenges, solutions, and perspectives of these technologies. Therefore, we believe this review article will set the foundation for advancing this research field.