Many waves make lights work...
21 September 2007
Wave-power experts say the seas around Britain could light up the entire country twice over - if only there was a way to harness this huge energy source. Now a team of UK engineers think they've got the answer.
Antenna investigates their new wave-power technology...
By 2020 the UK government wants one fifth of all our energy to come from renewable sources. At the moment we're way off target. But could new wave-power technology hold the key to going green?
Engineers say it does. They've invented an innovative way to capture wave energy and generate clean, green electricity - the 'Oyster' energy converter. Oyster looks set to be more eco-friendly and efficient to run than any other wave power system currently out there.
This is an artist's impression of what Oyster will look like.
Image: Aquamarine Power
Unlike other systems in development, Oyster technology generates electricty onshore.
Image: Aquamarine Power
Oyster's design is unique. Fixed to the seabed near the shore, the device swings back and forth with each wave. This motion pumps high-pressure water to an onshore hydroelectric plant, where it drives a water turbine to generate electricity. |
A 1:20 scale model being tested in the lab.
Image: Queen's University Belfast
Lab trials using scaled-down Oysters and artificial wave machines have been a success. So engineers are building a full-sized working version, which they'll put to the test off the Scottish coast in January. |
So is wave power the way forward?
'We think it has great potential. A wave farm of just ten Oyster devices powering a single onshore hydroelectric plant could provide enough energy to power between 3000 and 4500 homes. That's up to 11,000 people - the size of a small town,' says Sian McGrath, Aquamarine Power, inventors of Oyster.
Sian McGrath, Aquamarine Power
With more wave farms around the coast experts think wave power could realistically provide up to a fifth of our electricity needs in the near future. But harnessing the ocean isn't problem free...
'Developing technologies like this can be challenging. Their success depends on where you site them, how cost effective they are and how well they survive at sea. But it's absolutely vital we do it - combined with other renewables like wind, wave power could make quite a difference,' says Neil Crumpton, an energy specialist, Friends of the Earth.
Neil Crumpton, Friends of the Earth
Image: Friends of the Earth