How does HACE work?

1) Consider that the surface of the water is made up of a multitude of "pixels".

Swell is inherently chaotic, but when you consider a small portion of the water surface, the rise and fall of the swell is regular.

2) Using oscillating columns

An oscillating column is a vertical, hollow tube (with open ends) that is half immersed in water. Each time a wave passes, the water rises and falls in the tube.

3) Transforming these columns into giant "bicycle pumps"

As the water descends, air is drawn into the column. When the water rises, the air is expelled from the column.
The top of each column is fitted with an inlet valve and an air ejection valve. They open alternately depending on the direction of air flow.
As the water rises, the air is forced upwards, opening the ejection valve and closing the inlet valve.
The air that passes through the ejection valve then enters a compression chamber (a kind of reservoir). As a multitude of columns are used, each sending air into the compression chamber, a large quantity of air is compressed there and can only escape through an orifice.

4) Transforming airflow into electricity

We fit the outlet of the compression chamber with a turbine connected to a generator: this is how the air flow is transformed into electricity.

5) What is done with the electricity produced?

2 solutions:
- A cable connects the wave generator to a source station to inject the electricity produced into the grid to which consumers are connected.
- The electricity is converted into hydrogen on site.