Underwater Turbines
It’s easy to track the tidal movements of the ocean by looking at waves, but all of that energy is moved around under the surface of the water as well. Florida Atlantic University’s Center of Excellence in Ocean Energy Technology hopes to harness these underwater currents by placing 100-foot-in-diameter 20 kilowatt turbines that are anchored to the ocean floor along the Gulf Stream of the Atlantic. The system would be hooked up to floating generators and monitored by solar powered control buoys and small naval vessels.
The team at Florida Atlantic University will first test the waters with smaller prototype turbines to be deployed in February 2008. How much renewable energy the system will be able to generate is still up in the air, but the team hopes it will provide a significant amount to the state of Florida.
January 16th, 2009 at 9:44 am
Excellent idea! Why aren’t we seeing this kind of progress along more coastal areas of the U.S.?
January 17th, 2009 at 7:45 am
Imagine if the U.S. had “jumped” all over this, say, in the 1930s or 1940s…and steadily improved the technology, maximizing its efficiency, year after year after year!
One other thing: I see tremendous potential in the little understood power of ocean RIP TIDES. There are “rip tide” warning signs in many, many areas…I have seen them, for example, off the coast of California, Oregon, Florida, & South Carolina. Rip tides! I have seen no evidence whatsoever of any effort to harness this incredible source of perpetual energy!