ScienceDaily — Queen’s University Belfast has helped the global wave energy industry take a major stride forward with the launch of the world’s largest working hydro-electric wave energy device by Aquamarine Power Ltd.
Known as Oyster, the device has been officially launched by Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond MP, MSP at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney.
It is currently the world’s only hydro-electric wave energy device producing power and is now producing power by pumping high pressure water to its onshore hydro-electric turbine. This will be fed into the National Grid to power homes in Orkney and beyond. A farm of 20 Oysters would provide enough energy to power 9,000 three bedroom family homes.
Oyster is a simple mechanical hinged flap connected to the seabed at around 10m depth. Each passing wave moves the flap, driving hydraulic pistons to deliver high pressure water via a pipeline to an onshore electrical turbine. (Credit: Aquamarine Power Ltd.)
more:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091127133806.htm
Saw the bus on my way to Maryland a few weeks ago. Very cool
HI Dom! You must have seen us on the way down to PowerShift in DC. Or on the way back home to Vermont. Thanks for checking in! By the way, our blog here is whithering away and if you want to check us out on Facebook, that’s where we have a lot more updates and interactions. In fact we have some photos from the trip up there already. See ya over there on Facebook, or maybe on our next trip to DC !