Archive for the ‘wave energy’ tag
Floating pump faces uphill challenge for clean energy
The Searaser uses the motion of the sea to generate power
A device that uses the power of the sea to push water uphill has been developed to provide cheap renewable electricity.
The Searaser, developed by engineer Alvin Smith, is designed to pump water hundreds of feet above sea level from where it can gush downhill to drive hydroelectric generators.
The wave pump consists of two floats, one above the other, fitted to a double-acting piston. Water is pumped as the floats are forced together and apart by the motion of the waves.
Chains and weights fix the device to the sea floor and the pump is able to operate in water as shallow as 30ft (9m) as well as in extreme weather conditions.
Each of the pumps has a capacity of just 0.25mw, but they are expected to be used together in their dozens, or even hundreds, side by side along the coast or further out at sea.
Read more on: Energy, pump, sea, water, wave energyCommercial wave energy farm goes live
Portugal has debuted the world’s first commercial wave energy farm. Wave energy at the Agucadoura station is converted into electricity with the use of three red “sea-snakes”, or cylindrical wave energy converters, that are attached to the seabed off Portugal’s northern coast. Energy captured by the sea-snakes is carried to an undersea cable station, where it is then fed into the electrical grid.
The devices will generate 2.25 MW of electricity— enough to power 1,500 homes. Ultimately, the wave power station will expand to produce up to 21 MW of power.
Read more at Cleantechnica
Read more on: Energy, wave energyHydrogen power offers hope to drivers
ITM Power has unveiled a hydrogen refuelling station and a hydrogen-powered car which could revolutionise commuting while cutting fuel costs and CO2 emissions.
The conventional petrol-engined Ford-Focus, which has completed successful urban commuting trials, has been converted to run on hydrogen, which burns without emitting CO2, and could ultimately reduce drivers’ dependence on fossil fuels.
In addition, ITM Power has also revealed a hydrogen home refuelling station capable of producing the gas from water and electricity. The station overcomes one of the fundamental stumbling blocks to hydrogen economy – the lack of hydrogen refuelling infrastructure and utility supply network.
It has taken scientists and chemists at the company’s Sheffield research base eight years to create a low-cost means of manufacturing hydrogen. It’s patented electrolyser-based refuelling station uses a low-cost polymer which dispenses with the need for expensive platinum and can be manufactured at one per cent of the cost of traditional membrane materials.
The result is a hydrogen production system small enough to be used in a home or business, which can generate the gas from a supply of water and off-peak or renewable electricity – power created by wind, wave, solar or nuclear energy. The stored hydrogen could then be used to fuel converted cars or provide power for domestic or commercial purposes.
Read more on: Automotive, CO2, Design, fuel cells, hydrogen, polymer, solar energy, solar power, wave energy, wind powerSea ‘snake’ makes waves in the renewable energy market
The ‘Anaconda’ is an innovative wave energy concept.
A device consisting of a giant rubber tube may hold the key to producing affordable electricity from the energy in sea waves.
Led by researchers from the University of Southampton, the ‘Anaconda’ is an innovative wave energy concept. The simple design means it would be cheap to manufacture and maintain, enabling it to produce clean electricity at a lower cost than other types of wave energy converter.
Read more on: Design, Electronics, rubber, solar energy, solar power, turbines, underwater, water, wave energy