And what about natural gas? Current oil field technologies made it possible to tap into all-natural gas layers simultaneously, which resulted in substantial decline rates. For example, in the USA, only in the past decade, conventional gas supplies declined by almost half. The North Sea, Russia, and Indonesia are on the decline, too.

So, where to get an additional source of electricity? Scientists seem to find the answer – the ocean and its waves can serve as a great alternative to getting renewable energy.

Ocean Waves As a Battery?

From the very first years of our conscious life, we get to know that almost 70% of our planet’s surface is covered by water. And of this, most water is found in the oceans, while only the remaining 2% is fresh water in rivers, lakes, and ice.

However, besides being a home for thousands of creatures, the ocean is a lifelong battery constantly receiving and releasing energy. This energy roots its sources mainly from the sun through heat and light energy, or indirectly from the winds and pulls. Moreover, the ocean’s water is in continuous motion due to the flow changes, wave movements, and ongoing flows. And this dependable constancy is what makes the base for renewable energy concepts and theories rely on.

In general, the idea is very simple – Tides rise and fall predictably and become an attractive proposition for powering the grid. Then you can produce energy with the help of a specific device like a turbine placed underwater. But contrary to the idea’s simplicity, implementing this concept is quite challenging and requires a lot of experimental research.

As such, the basics and foundation for using the ocean as a great resource for green power are already laid. Additionally, researchers have already created multiple mechanisms and designs for utilizing ocean energy, some of which we will review below.

Wave Energy

There are multiple newly adopted systems researchers recommended for absorbing the wave movements and producing energy. Here are the most popular ones:

#1 Surface Attenuator

It’s a specially designed device with several arms that float on the surface. The vibration of the waves makes a flexing motion at the joints powering the generator and accumulating electricity. The generated electricity is then carried to shore through a cable under the ocean.

#2 Point Absorber Buoy

This absorber floating buoy aims to balance the base on the ocean floor. When the buoy rises up and down with the waves, it moves the generator, thus creating electricity. The produced electricity is forced to the collection device that passes the electricity to the onshore grid.

#3 Oscillating Water Column

It’s a concrete mechanism created with an opening below sea level and an enclosed chamber. When waves plunge into the opening, the water level rises, forcing the air through a turbine connected to the chamber’s upper opening. Then the airflow drives the turbine generating electricity.

#4 Wave Carpet

It’s a flexible membrane that extends along the seafloor and moves up and down when waves run over it. Thus, it pushes the water to a discharge pipe via vertical pumps to drive the turbine onshore and generate electricity.

#5 Overtopping Device

The device’s structure can float offshore or onshore, capturing waves breaking over it into a storage reservoir. Then the waves pass through the turbine in the chute, generating electricity when the flows go back to the sea.

Water Thermal Energy

As studies show, 70% of the sun’s energy land on the ocean and is captured in the surface layers as heat. Thus, the difference in temperature between cold deep water and warm surface water can generate electricity.

To gather thermal energy, people can use heat exchangers that help to separate the different fluids of cold and warm water.

Osmotic Power

The technology of osmotic power is based on one of the natural phenomena: water with a high concentration of salt seeks a lower concentration of salt. So, when waters with different salinity levels meet and reach a uniform salinity, a specific amount of energy will be released.

Osmotic power stations reproduce this occurrence by using osmosis. It helps separate a tank of salty water from fresh water with a semi-permeable membrane. Thus, fresh water will be drawn into the saltwater side, raising the water pressure in the saltwater tank and generating electricity.

The Bottom Line

Recently, the term “renewable energy” has become trendy and has captured the attention of many investors and researchers. The concept of generating green energy from “clean” power sources without polluting the air seems to be a real revolution. However, all these concepts regarding ocean wave energy are still in development. They have a long way to go before becoming realized.

But who knows? Maybe after several years, we will be able to use the infinite resources of the ocean’s water to generate electricity.

The post Tapping The Ocean As The Next Big Source of Green Energy appeared first on Barrick .

Miklós Lorant, Kiskunság National Park: “Birds can live on one or the other side of the power line towers, but not under the wires. By replacing these cables, we not only free up space for the birds, but we also destroy the boundary that separates their habitat.

All in all, 28 kilometers of overhead power lines have been dismantled in the Kiskunshag and Dunay-Ipoy reserves. According to the rangers, the results are already visible. The bustard, the heaviest European bird (its weight reaches 15 kilograms), returns to the meadows. During the last 80 years the bustard population has significantly decreased and this has worried environmentalists. The bustard is protected by the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The post Bustard returns to Kiskunszag meadows Access to the comments appeared first on Barrick .

Students at the Technical University of Eindhoven in the Netherlands decided to prove that a camper can also be environmentally responsible. They developed the Stella Vita, a solar-powered van with a range of up to 730 kilometers. Its roof-mounted panels can extend up to 17.5 square meters.

Lotte van Dasler, a student at the Technische Universiteit Eindhoven who is part of the Solar Team explained: “We don’t call our invention a camper van, it’s a self-sufficient caravan for us, it provides its own energy. Can a normal camping car do that? We’ve developed something new, it’s a new concept, a new idea for a responsible future on our planet.”

The energy generated is not only enough for driving: it can also be used to take a shower, watch TV, charge gadgets and make coffee. The 60 kW⋅h lithium-ion battery pack can store energy for overnight trips of up to 600 kilometers at a maximum speed of 120 kilometers per hour.

The developers are currently testing the electric camping car on a route from its native Eindhoven to Tarifa in southern Spain.

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