Australia’s researchers have successfully tested and perfected an efficient form of electricity generation, harnessing the ocean’s current without causing any ill effects to the environment.
It is said that the tidal wave technology generates zero emissions, and has been highly recommended by environmental activists and researchers.
Concerns have been raised by environmental activists and some world leaders, including President Obama, about how the world can produce an efficient and sound form of energy without any devastating effect on the environment.
Chief Executive Officer for the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (AREA)-Ivor Frischknecht said that the new technology is called the CETO 5 system and is “the first array of wave power generators to be connected to an electricity grid in Australia and worldwide.”
The technology has been providing areas of Australia with clean energy for more than a month now and has been very efficient for residents. CETO 5 uses a set of submerged buoys and water pumps. When the current moves the buoys, the force then activates the pumps, and pushes pressurized water through turbines. This forces the turbines to move, generating clean electricity.
Watch the video here and see how the energy is generated from each ocean wave:
An energy expert with Carnegie Wave Energy, Michael Ottaviano, said there are currently plans in motion for a CETO 6 project to be initiated. Itis expected to generate four times more energy than the CETO 5, but the major challenge now is about funding the project.
“The great thing about it is we know it works. The challenge from here on is really about scale and cost to fund the current project” he told the West Australian.
Tidal energy is produced through the use of tidal energy generators. These large underwater turbines are placed in areas with high tidal movements, and are designed to capture the kinetic motion of the ebbing and surging of ocean tides in order to produce electricity.
Tidal power has great potential for future power and electricity generation because of the massive size of the oceans across the globe. The ocean takes up about 70% of the total surface of the earth, and the energy it holds with its every ebb and flow is truly massive.
In the United States, President Barack Obama is known as a staunch supporter for safe and clean energy. He has declared that developing renewable energy is crucial to America’s prosperity and that his administration will for the first time lease federal waters for projects that generate electricity from wind, ocean currents and other renewable sources. But little has come of this promise. Maybe, this Australian story will inspire America to get serious.
Source:
We have to see many alternatives and it is not a moment too soon.
What a shame that the Australian government is taking funding away from science, research and education.
PLUS, the current Liberal government has no concern whatsoever for climate change. Many of their MPs still act like it is a myth. Our PM actually went on national television and told us all that ‘Coal is Good’. Shame that Australia’s people are so so asleep.
The video is NOT about TIDAL POWER. It’s about WAVE POWER and I’d really like to see the cost/benefit analysis.