Another source of renewable energy has been put to the test by functioning for a year and so far, the results have come back with good news. The "Artificial Blowhole" in Australia was able to generate electricity from the waves.
UniWave 200 was able to Harvest Renewable Energy from the Ocean via the Waves
Although renewable energy is mostly generated from either the sun or the wind, another test has shown that it can also be generated via water. An article by CNet shares how an artificial blowhole was able to generate electricity from waves.
As per the article, Wave Swell Energy, the company behind the experiment, is hoping to accomplish being able to harvest renewable energy from the ocean with its UniWave 200, the massive gadget responsible for harvesting it.
The Structure was Built with a Massive Concrete Base and a Hollow Central Chamber
The structure reportedly comprises a massive concrete base with a hollow central chamber and an opening for waves to enter. As the water starts to rise and fall within the chamber, the air is then pushed through the turbine.
Once the air is pushed and spins through the turbine, this is where electricity will be generated. The chamber is reportedly an artificial version of a blowhole, a natural occurrence, wherein rising waves compress air inside a cave.
The Year-Long Run was Done in Order to Measure both the Efficiency and Availability of the Energy
Blowholes result in sending bursts of seawater outward due to the compressed air from the rising waves. The device has successfully completed its year-long test located at King Island, Australia.
Two of the main metrics that were measured by the Wave Swell Energy team during the experiment were both its efficiency and availability. The efficiency involved just how much wave energy was converted into electrical energy.
How the Uniwave 200 Did in Comparison to Wind Turbines and Solar Panels
The availability was measured based on the percentage of time that energy was being converted into electricity by the UniWave 200. As per Paul Geason, CEO of Wave Swell Energy, the UniWave 200 was able to achieve an approximate 50% efficiency and 80% availability during the trial period.
This can be compared to wind turbines at just 50% efficiency and solar panels which only operate at around 15-20% efficiency as per the Center for Sustainable Systems at the University of Michigan.
Read Also: Chinese Researchers Plan to Use Triboelectric Nanogenerator to Produce Energy from Sea Waves
Company Still Wants to Improve the UniWave 200 to Make the Technology more Affordable and Available
It was also indicated that onshore wind turbines have been able to reach 95-97% availability while solar panels achieve a 92-96% availability. As per Geason, the next step involves the UniWave 200's stats being improved in order for the technology to become more affordable and reliable.
The reason why they want to improve the UniWave200 is also so that the technology can become available in other places as well. More about the massive gadget can be seen on the official company website WaveSwell.
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This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Urian B.
