Slashdot Mirror
Gulf of Mexico Gets Wave-Powered Desalination Plant
blair1q writes "The US Army Corps of Engineers has issued the first permit for a wave-powered desalination plant in American territory to a company called Independent Natural Resources. Waves will operate 'Seadog' pumps, which will lift water into the plant and onto a water wheel connected to a generator, which will create electricity to operate a reverse-osmosis desalination system. The permit runs for four years. Let's hope they don't harm the environment, permanently impact drilling operations, or give Rube Goldberg any crazy ideas..."
Can't they just burn the water to power it?
At least now they won't have to worry about lubricating the wheel.
"Thanks to BP, for the first 3 years of operation, the desalination plant will actually produce Kraft Cajun-Style Salad Dressing."
Anybody want a peanut?
Drink it? Use it for cleaning? Any damn thing you do with water?
Many will notice rivers tend to flow towards oceans.
Using wave technology, which varies in cycles, you can store desalinated water at times of peak flow.
A tidal generator can have many forms - some, which look like buoys, are basically upside-down wind turbines that use the flow of water instead of air to move the blades, while others can use permeated cells. Desalination plants have been around since before WW II, naturally, as have tidal generators.
Delivery of energy supply is one of the main problems with desalination - the process uses a lot of energy, so using local sources such as tidal power makes more sense than trying to string extra power to the plant.
Not that you'd want to drink the swampy and/or briny water in many lowland tidal areas ...
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
flops?
tide power is used all over the world... just because SUV driving rednecks in the US haven't done much with it yet doesn't discount the potential of the power source.
how many people have to wave at it in order for it to work?
Reyling on the moon? Hah! Good luck! Damn thing keeps disappearing all the time, god knows where, and even most of the time it is there parts of it have broken off or something!
Switch back to Slashdot's D1 system.