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Ocean waves are a huge largely unexploited energy resource, and the potential for extracting energy from waves is great. Research in this area is driven by the need to meet renewable-energy targets, but it is relatively immature compared to other renewable-energy technologies. This review introduces some device types that represent the state of the art of oscillating water column technology, a kind of wave energy converter (WEC). Unlike other works in literature, typically limited to specific aspects of WECs, in this paper, a system-wide perspective will be pursued, from the sea waves to the grid connection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]