Eco Factor: Efficient wave energy generator based on aerospace design.
Oceans for long have been touted as a potentially vast source of renewable energy. However, of the hundreds of systems developed, only a few are able to churn out the needed watts, because many devices are plagued by storms, limited efficiency and the need to be tethered to the ocean floor. Researchers at the US Air Force Academy are close to a breakthrough with a wave energy harnessing system that gets some help from aerospace design.
The device is a scale-model of the system and it suggests higher efficiencies than wind turbines. The system is designed to capture the energy of incoming waves and flatten them in the process, thereby acting as a storm-wave breaker. As windmills have active controls that compensate for storm winds by eliminating lift when it’s risky, the research team developed hydrofoils that do the same in water.
The cancellation will also allow the float-mounted devices to function without the need of mooring. The laboratory models of the device are less than a meter in diameter, but the final version should be as large as 40 meters across.
Via: ScienceDaily
