Seafloor Carpet Harnesses Wave Energy
Feb-24-14
Inspired by the way a muddy seabed can absorb ocean waves, the seafloor carpet system offers a new way to harness the power of waves for use as an alternative power source.Developed by a team from UC Berkeley, the seafloor carpet is made up of rubber mat placed on top of a grid of hydraulic actuators, cylinders and tubes. The carpet moves up and down with the waves, creating hydraulic pressure that is piped back to shore to be converted into power. The carpet is able to absorb more than 90 percent of the wave energy, and the team believes that 10.8 square feet of the carpet would create enough electricity for two U.S. homes.
The carpet could also offer a low-cost method of desalination, since the power it generates could be used to power the desalination apparatus.
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[GIZMAG.COM][UC BERKELEY]
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This technology was examined as part of a DTi and Carbon Trust programme some 10 years ago with oversight provided by my team and Cranfield University. The consensus was that, due to system losses, the principle would not be carbon neutral. Maintenance was also an issue if the system were placed in an energetic wave environment as well as large scale deployment.
Indeed the locations where the ideal wave form exists were also limited and often remote from communities adding further losses in terms of electricity distribution.
The marine technology which performed best overall was tidal power it is reliable as long as we orbit the sun and the moon orbits us and significant tidal flows can be found in most oceans. Additionally technology developments in conversion technology from wind power means more energy can be easily be harvested.
Since I am now medically retired I am amenable to further conversation on the whole wet or other renewable issues.
Posted by Gerald Spencer on February 26, 2014
One could add that simple Newtonian physics tells us that energy can't be taken from waves without some consequential effect somewhere.
The same observation is true of taking energy from the tide (or indeed from wind). If any significant amount of energy is extracted there will be changes upriver/unwind as nature will arrive with less force than before.
Man's intervention is rarely (if ever) neutral!
Posted by Roger Wisdom on March 2, 2014
Whilst I am sympathetic to the view stated by Roger mankind is at a crux in it's evolution. Burgeoning birth rates, rapidly depleted carbon fuels running out and mankind's complete inability to live symbiotically with nature means we must, somehow, fill the energy void between the carbon and fusion era's. Wind, solar and wave technologies are dependent on the vagaries of weather the only viable alternative is tidal coupled with hydrogen. Water is many times as dense as air and therefore is able to produce power from less resource and sympathetic placement of installations will reduce the impact on the ocean environment.
Posted by Gerald Spencer on March 2, 2014
Gerald is right. We desperately need clean energy if we are to deliver the growth many in the world demand without destroying the world for future generations. And I accept that a good case can be made that tidal power may be one of the greenest options available.
I also accept that the use of hydrogen plus fuel cells as an effective "battery" to smooth out the gap between (intermittent) supply and demand may play a big role in encouraging the use of renewable sources.
However, personally, I think a very strong case can be made for taking more geo-thermal energy out of the earth. For all practical purposes there is an ever-lasting infinite supply of heat in the core of the earth and my understanding is that generating electricity from it can be very clean indeed.
The key issue seems to be the cost and technical difficulties of drilling down to access the heat. And I accept there may be some one-off carbon costs involved in the initial work required to access the heat.
Mankind is, however, very good at drilling deep to access fossil fuels like oil and gas. I wonder why more effort isn't devoted to deep drilling to get directly to carbon-neutral heat?
A few countries (largely with volcanic areas where the molten earth's core is near the surface) extract geo-thermal energy effectively. Surely there are many other places where it could be accessed if we tried hard enough?
Why, I wonder, isn't this perfect (?) source of clean energy being extracted more widely?
Posted by Roger Wisdom on March 2, 2014
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Comments
This technology was examined as part of a DTi and Carbon Trust programme some 10 years ago with oversight provided by my team and Cranfield University. The consensus was that, due to system losses, the principle would not be carbon neutral. Maintenance was also an issue if the system were placed in an energetic wave environment as well as large scale deployment.
Indeed the locations where the ideal wave form exists were also limited and often remote from communities adding further losses in terms of electricity distribution.
The marine technology which performed best overall was tidal power it is reliable as long as we orbit the sun and the moon orbits us and significant tidal flows can be found in most oceans. Additionally technology developments in conversion technology from wind power means more energy can be easily be harvested.
Since I am now medically retired I am amenable to further conversation on the whole wet or other renewable issues.
Posted by Gerald Spencer on February 26, 2014
One could add that simple Newtonian physics tells us that energy can't be taken from waves without some consequential effect somewhere.
The same observation is true of taking energy from the tide (or indeed from wind). If any significant amount of energy is extracted there will be changes upriver/unwind as nature will arrive with less force than before.
Man's intervention is rarely (if ever) neutral!
Posted by Roger Wisdom on March 2, 2014
Whilst I am sympathetic to the view stated by Roger mankind is at a crux in it's evolution. Burgeoning birth rates, rapidly depleted carbon fuels running out and mankind's complete inability to live symbiotically with nature means we must, somehow, fill the energy void between the carbon and fusion era's. Wind, solar and wave technologies are dependent on the vagaries of weather the only viable alternative is tidal coupled with hydrogen. Water is many times as dense as air and therefore is able to produce power from less resource and sympathetic placement of installations will reduce the impact on the ocean environment.
Posted by Gerald Spencer on March 2, 2014
Gerald is right. We desperately need clean energy if we are to deliver the growth many in the world demand without destroying the world for future generations. And I accept that a good case can be made that tidal power may be one of the greenest options available.
I also accept that the use of hydrogen plus fuel cells as an effective "battery" to smooth out the gap between (intermittent) supply and demand may play a big role in encouraging the use of renewable sources.
However, personally, I think a very strong case can be made for taking more geo-thermal energy out of the earth. For all practical purposes there is an ever-lasting infinite supply of heat in the core of the earth and my understanding is that generating electricity from it can be very clean indeed.
The key issue seems to be the cost and technical difficulties of drilling down to access the heat. And I accept there may be some one-off carbon costs involved in the initial work required to access the heat.
Mankind is, however, very good at drilling deep to access fossil fuels like oil and gas. I wonder why more effort isn't devoted to deep drilling to get directly to carbon-neutral heat?
A few countries (largely with volcanic areas where the molten earth's core is near the surface) extract geo-thermal energy effectively. Surely there are many other places where it could be accessed if we tried hard enough?
Why, I wonder, isn't this perfect (?) source of clean energy being extracted more widely?
Posted by Roger Wisdom on March 2, 2014
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