Social Good Engineering Magazine: GineersNow Social Innovation GineersNow Engineering Magazine Issue No. 001 | Page 100

THE ‘OYSTER’ THAT
Gives US Power
I
n a world where people are looking
for a better and cleaner alternative to
coal as our source of energy, engineers
and scientists have engaged in different
researches to find a new source of power
that would be good for us and for the
environment as well. Knowing that the world’s
surface is made up of 70% water, they found a
way to use ocean waves as a new source of clean
energy. Who would have thought that using
wave turbines can lead “exceptional results” in
generating power?

Aquamarine Power, a Scottish wave
power company, spent months testing its Oyster
800 wave machine in Orkney. This is the largest
working hydroelectric machine that uses wave
energy to produce power in the world. It works
by pumping high-pressure water into its hydro-
electric turbine, which then powers the electric
grid that is used around its neighborhood for
electric consumption. This device can be used
even at shallow depths and it’s easy to maintain.
The company expects that it can power 9,000
houses using 20 of its Oysters.

The company is currently finding ways
to refine and improve its wave turbine’s design. It
is also using its research and development team
to upgrade its technologies for its intellectual
property portfolio.

Aside from producing clean energy, the
Oyster is designed to rely on water for hydraulics
only. This means it won’t disturb marine life. The
device runs silently so you don’t have to worry
about any annoying sounds near the shore. This
turbine is still in its early stages of development
so it is still limited to one location. However, the
company aims to establish the Oyster in other
countries such as Spain, Portugal, Ireland, South
Africa, Australia, US, Chile and UK.

If each wave turbine can save about 500
tons of carbon dioxide every year, we’re hoping
this technology will be used in a lot of countries
in the near future. This could definitely help in
solving our problems in today’s climate change.
Photo Source: City University of Hongkong
Photo Source: Inhabitat
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