Turbine system and method for extracting energy from waves, wind, and other fluid flows

摘要

An apparatus and method for harvesting fluid energy including a wave turbine consisting of a long shaft having pairs of buckets positioned at intervals along the shaft and rotated 90 degrees from each adjacent pair. Each bucket is connected at an offset angle with respect to a plane that is normal to the shaft. When adapted for harnessing wave energy, the shaft is elevated above water surface and positioned at an oblique angle to the prevailing wave fronts. Each bucket is positively buoyant, so that buckets capture both potential and kinetic wave energy.