A device is in news for taking much more energy out of the water than turbine-based systems.
According to Michael Bernitsas, who has founded Vortex Hydro Energy, the device Vortex Induced Vibrations Aquatic Clean Energy gets 50 watts per cubic meter of water, while the Pelamis system, considered the world leader in ocean energy, gets 21.
In terms of support for the technology, blog.wired.com reported that The National Science Foundation, the US. Navy, and the Department of Energy have together contributed about $2 million to Vortex to further develop this new concept. Prototypes of the device are essentially round cylinders a few inches across suspended in water on a spring.
"About four years ago, it dawned on me that we should enhance the vibrations and try to harness the energy," reportedly said ocean engineer Bernitsas, who has founded Vortex Hydro Energy to commercialise his idea. "No one has ever thought of patenting this idea, even though vortex induced vibrations were first observed in 1504 by Leonardo da Vinci."
According to the company, there is a huge amount of hydrokinetic energy in currents but a lot of that cannot be harnessed with the present technology. "That's where my device comes in, to extract energy at speeds down to 1 knot," said Bernitsas.
As per the information available, prototypes of the device are essentially round cylinders a few inches across suspended in water on a spring. The vortices generated by water flow move the cylinder up and down. The system converts that mechanical energy into electricity via rotary or linear generators. In the future, Bernitsas wants to create modular 50 kilowatt units. They could be strung together for larger applications into power plants producing as much as a gigawatt of power.
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