better generation

Once seen as the only viable source of Renewable Energy, wind power developed a huge buzz of publicity and funding over the last 20 years, preparing it to take over the mantle of generation from the more traditional fossil fuels. Or so we thought.

Marine energy on the other hand, has been developing at a much slower rate. The development of the technology itself has come across unprecedented technical difficulties due to the nature of the environment in which the generation occurs. Now a new idea has emerged that has meant that the future may not be such a windy one.

According to the developers of this new marine device (Known as Searaser), the biggest challenges facing Renewable Energy are cost and variable output. With the Searaser's constant power from oceanic swells, and low cost installation and maintenance, this device may conquer these challenges.

How does it work?

Searaser doesn’t generate electricity on site. Issues with underwater generation have hindered similar technologies, and so the new device pumps seawater through an onshore turbine, using the oceans natural movements to drive it.

The Searaser pumps the sea water via a vertical piston that is located between 2 buoys, one of which is floating on the surface, and the other suspended underwater. As the ocean surface moves, the surfaced buoy follows suit and moves the piston up and down, pressurising sea water and pumping it to the turbine.

The designer of the device claims that the most important aspect of its use is that it enables low-carbon energy to be stored in reservoirs on land and then released when needed, addressing the intermittent nature of much renewable energy. This is already achieved through pumped storage facilities in the UK, where excess energy can be used to pump water to be stored at height, and then released through a turbine to produce energy when needed.

Ecotricity, the primary investors in the Searaser, claim that "it is not over-ambitious" to see around 200 of the devices installed around the UK within five years, generating enough renewable electricity to power 236,000 homes.

Currently there are several other marine energy designs being trialed in UK waters, most of which can be seen in our previous blog entry (Alternative Alternative energy). However, wind energy appears to have reached a plateau of design. Smaller VAWTs (Vertical axis wind turbine) appears to dominate the urban market, whilst the more distinctive 3 blade HAWTs (Horizontal axis wind turbines) dominate the rural and macro generation schemes. Few other viable designs have been put forward.

However, one design that has been gaining some support from internet giant Google, is high altitude wind extraction. This design claims that a piano sized kite, controlled automatically can power up to 5 homes. These kits harness wind streams in the high atmosphere, which consist of uninterrupted, high speed winds. Having already secured funding, their next prototype is rumoured to be a 1MW design, which, if feasible, would see a whole new level of efficiency and funding for the wind industry.