This Spine Like Floating Device Can Convert Wave Power into Electricity — Transcript

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1. 0:07a unique spine-like floating device
2. 0:09designed by a startup based in cypress
3. 0:11promises to harness the energy of the
4. 0:13waves and convert it into electricity
5. 0:16the world is looking for ways renewable
6. 0:18sources can be used to meet our
7. 0:19increasing energy demands
8. 0:21with the goal of reducing carbon
9. 0:23emissions the major question remains as
10. 0:25to why sea and ocean waves have not been
11. 0:27tapped into yet
12. 0:28various approaches have been attempted
13. 0:30to do so
14. 0:32from floating buoys to underwater
15. 0:34generators that looking to tap into
16. 0:35pressure differences all have failed to
17. 0:37deliver a technology that can be scaled
18. 0:39up
19. 0:40however of late there has been some
20. 0:42success an australian company has been
21. 0:45powering homes with its unique wave
22. 0:47energy converter for over a year
23. 0:50now a floating spine like contraption
24. 0:52has shown promise too
25. 0:54cypress-based sea wave energy limited
26. 0:56swell has been working on its technology
27. 0:59to capture energy from the waves for
28. 1:00over a decade now
29. 1:02earlier this year the company unveiled
30. 1:04the prototype called the waveline magnet
31. 1:07which comprises several floating
32. 1:08platforms linked to each other to give
33. 1:10it a floating like appearance
34. 1:12the modular and flexible system is
35. 1:14designed so that the energy generator
36. 1:16can seamlessly follow the movement of
37. 1:18the waves
38. 1:19this according to the company allows the
39. 1:22device control over how much energy is
40. 1:24extracted from the wave in a controlled
41. 1:26and non-disruptive manner
42. 1:28additionally the device can be
43. 1:30manufactured using plastic and
44. 1:31reinforced plastics that do not require
45. 1:34specialized lines of production thereby
46. 1:36reducing the cost of making them
47. 1:39not only can the device be manufactured
48. 1:41and deployed quickly but its repair and
49. 1:43maintenance costs are also low
50. 1:45under the right conditions a single wave
51. 1:47energy converter can generate as much as
52. 1:49100 megawatt of power the company claims
53. 1:52and its low cost of energy production
54. 1:54puts it at par with fossil fuels already
55. 1:57the prototype has largely been tested in
56. 1:59controlled environments
57. 2:01it was only last year that the device
58. 2:03was taken out to larnica bay in cyprus
59. 2:06for its open sea trials it needs to be
60. 2:08further validated and there is still
61. 2:10room for improvement in the technology
62. 2:13with regards to survivability at sea the
63. 2:15company is confident that the spine-like
64. 2:17mobility of the device will allow it to
65. 2:19move with the waves rather than oppose
66. 2:21them increasing the life of the device
67. 2:24since the device can also be made using
68. 2:26recycled materials it will also not be a
69. 2:28burden to the environment like the solar
70. 2:30panels or wind turbines are proving to
71. 2:32be
72. 2:33the plastic used in the device is also
73. 2:36reinforced plastic which will not only
74. 2:38give waste plastic a second life but
75. 2:40also help tap into a less explored
76. 2:41renewable energy source
77. 2:44if all goes well the wavelength magnet
78. 2:46could indeed be the world's most
79. 2:47efficient and low-cost wave energy
80. 2:49generator
81. 2:55[Music]