Australian firm Energetech proposes to provide enough electricity for 1500 homes from just one wave power plant situated offshore. Wave energy will be concentrated when it hits a parabolic wall that is part of the power plant, forcing air ahead of the wave into a chamber and powering a turbine generator. The firm also states that such a plant could provide enough power to desalinate close to 800,000 gallons of water per day (see Business 2.0, Vol. 7, No. 7, August 2006, p. 100, article by Todd Woody).
The oceans’ tides themselves promise to be even greater sources of renewable energy, which could probably be most easily “harnessed” in bay and river entrances or in narrows between land masses. Unlike other sources of energy which are derived from the heat of the Sun or the Earth’s core, tidal energy is the result of the Moon’s gravitational effect on our planet, combined with the rotation of the Earth. And unlike petroleum (itself derived from the sun, if indirectly), it is endless and non-polluting. However, current turbine designs can shred marine creatures, although (as with windmills) more slow-moving blades can make them somewhat safer. Hopefully, this technology will hold promise for the future.
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About Me
- Tom Owens
- I'm interested in nature, technology, and the human interface between the two. I see anthropocentrism (often combined with ethnocentrism and/or excessive religious fervor) as probably the most damaging human mindset, at least environmentally-speaking. A great goal of mine is to inspire a love of nature in people. I believe we will all benefit if everyone can create a bond with other organisms and feel the connectedness of all life on our planet. We all have to realize that humans are not separate from the rest of nature.
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