Friday, August 7, 2009

Latest Invention: Oyster - the New Wave Power System


Aquamarine Power, a company located in Edinburg, recently presented its latest invention - a new type wave power system, which it plans to install in the subaquatic off the coast of Orkney Islands. The company named its latest invention Oyster. The system features an on-shore base, which, according to Aquamarine Power, is easier to sustain than commonly used wave power systems. In addition the system has the ability to function at shallow depth, which makes it more reliable than the systems working far out at sea.
The company claims that each Oyster unit can generate from 300 to 600kw of electricity, which means that a commercial farm that has ten Oysters will be able to produce green energy to about 3,000 homes. The production of electricity using the power of waves is becoming more popular, with an increasing number of companies taking advantage of the motion of the ocean.
The latest invention from the Edinburg-based company is somewhat different from other systems, mainly because it takes advantage of hydraulics in order to bring high-pressure water to shore, where the pressure is transformed into electricity. Here's how it works: when the underwater oscillator with pistons is turned on by the waves, it starts pumping water through a pipeline to shore, where generators transform the water into electricity.
The power is delivered constantly thanks to the fact that the system is located at a depth of about 12 to 16 meters. It is worth mentioning that at such depths the seas are more consistent. In addition, engineers thought of creating a system that would run silently. It does not use oil or other toxic stuff, which means it doesn't affect the ocean life. Currently the Oyster is in the development stage. Its developers hope one day to introduce Oyster to the coast of other countries, including Spain, Portugal, Ireland, UK, US, South Africa, Australia and Chile.
According to the calculations carried out by Carbon Trust, the system will be able to save about 500 tons of CO2 each year.
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