This just in: Aquamarine Power just unveiled its freshest wave generator design this morning! Dubbed the Oyster 2 (you may remember our coverage of the original Oyster), the new renewable energy generator is about 26 meters long and packs a mean punch – Aquamarine Power says that even a small Oyster farm could power 12,000 homes onshore! Check out the video of the plant after the jump.
Basically it works like this. The Oyster 2 is anchored to the seafloor about half a mile off shore. Near-shore waves pound against its frame and engage the hinge mechanism. The hinges engage two hydraulic pistons that are connected to hydroelectric plants onshore. Essentially the Oyster turns offshore wave power into onshore water power. The first prototype Oyster 1 was installed and tested in the summer of 2009 and Aquamarine Power used information from that test to vastly improve their design. The Oyster 2 is simpler in design, has fewer moving parts, generates 250% more electricity and is easier to maintain.
A lot of issues developing in the offshore wave power industry have to do with the cost of installation versus the amount of energy extracted. It seems that the Oyster design solves this problem by replacing conventional turbines with hydraulic pistons to create the energy onshore instead of out in the waves. Three Oyster 2s will be deployed and connected to the grid in the summer of 2011 at the European Marine Energy Centre in Scotland. These Oyster 2 farms sound like a productive — and adorable — addition to the renewable energy market.
+ Aquamarine Power
It seems to me that such a system would also have the benefit of being less dangerous to marine life than most alternatives are, and anything that absorbs wave energy is likely to reduce erosion. Overall, it\’s an excellent idea.
I’ve been preaching about how wave power could be used to pump water inland for the purpose of feeding terraced waterways in the desert hills of southern california. As the water cascades back downhill, it could generate power. The construction funds would be derived from the savings this accessible waterway affords thru sequestering fires. The water could be routed to desalination ponds at the rate it evaporates, generating sea salt. Water “temple” greenhouses with parabolic reflecting panels could distill water continuously (as long as the sun shines) for use in agriculture.
If the descending aqueduct structure were open, the waterway could be used for local transportation. If one could develop a method of construction based on salt… seacrete comes to mind… one could build permanent and highly valued homes based around this “Venice in the Hills”
I wonder where Salter\’s Duck stands with this, Dr. Salter technology is for wave energy aswell although it\’s transported as electricity. It uses and arrangement of rams and hinges. If I remember correctly it could generate up to 2 GW of electricity in the North Sea.
[...] write a lot about wave power here at Inhabitat, but functional wave farms are few and far between. Now Ocean Power Technologies [...]