Sea wave energy is being increasingly regarded in many countries as a major and promising resource. The paper deals with the history and development of wave energy utilization, especially since the early seventies. Several topics are addressed: theoretical background, with especial relevance to the pioneering work on the hydrodynamics of wave energy absorption; the study and characterization of the wave energy resource, especially in Europe; how a large range of devices kept being proposed and studied, and how such devices can be organized into classes; the construction and deployment into real sea of prototypes; device control and the development of specific equipment (air turbines, high-pressure hydraulics, linear electrical generators); public and private support of wave energy.
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