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Seafloor Carpet Mimics Muddy Seabed To Harness Wave Power

Posted by samzenpus on from the waves-keep-coming dept.

Zothecula writes "Many organizations around the world are looking at ways to harness the power of waves as a renewable energy source, but none are covering quite the same ground as a team of engineers from the University of California (UC), Berkeley. The seafloor carpet, a system inspired by the wave absorbing abilities of a muddy seabed, has taken exploring the potential of wave power to some intriguing new depths."

20 comments

  1. solar magnet star cars out soon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    anything that can & does lift oceans should be able to power our 4 wheeled skates without a monthly stipend? free the innocent stem cells too please...

  2. Southland here we come by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    The only downside is that the earths rotation will slow by a rate of point zero, zero zero zero, zero zero, zero, six miles per hour each day. Disrupting the equilibrium in the human brain.

    1. Re:Southland here we come by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      The slowing rotation of the earth will result in larger temperature differences, which in turn drives global wind patterns and will allow us to harness the pressure differential to drive windmills. Alternatively, we could direct a large asteroid to strike the earth in precisely the correct spot to negate the momentum lost by harnessing the wave power.

    2. Re:Southland here we come by Garridan · · Score: 3, Interesting

      No, the downside is that the muddy seafloor is chock full of life. The energy absorbed by that seafloor churns the mud, continually stirring around nutrients, plankton, eggs and sperm, algae, etc. A huge amount of sealife spawns in this mud -- stop churning it, and you kill everything there. And as these things usually go... killing a huge number of species tends to open a door to noxious, invasive, damaging monocultures.

    3. Re:Southland here we come by synaptik · · Score: 1

      ... And will slingshot the moon to higher and higher orbits.

      --
      HSJ$$*&#^!#+++ATH0
      NO CARRIER
  3. Forstering habitat. by LaminatorX · · Score: 2

    I wonder what they could do with their structures as far as encouraging coral growth or providing spawning shelters? Clean energy is obviously the primary goal of the project, but anything building on the seafloor should hopefully take a look at the whole picture.

    1. Re:Forstering habitat. by AvitarX · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I would think carpeting the bottom of the ocean would be a disaster for marine life.

      --
      Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg
    2. Re:Forstering habitat. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      That's an overly broad statement, so broad that it's inherently untrue. People build artificial reefs all the time, with scrapped ships, old tires, etc, that have actually done quite a lot to restore and promote sea life, in areas where it's done correctly.

      This isn't necessarily a bad thing for sea life, and if done in conjunction with an understanding of the littoral ecosystem could actually be beneficial.

    3. Re:Forstering habitat. by camperdave · · Score: 2

      I would think carpeting the bottom of the ocean would be a disaster for marine life.

      So... you think that hardwood flooring might be a better option? Or perhaps a nice ceramic tile, maybe in a nice faux-granite?

      --
      When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
    4. Re:Forstering habitat. by Newander · · Score: 1

      I've always thought that cork flooring was well suited to wet environments.

      --

      Jesus saves and takes half damage.

    5. Re:Forstering habitat. by camperdave · · Score: 1

      Cork would be a bad option as it would always want to float to the top.

      --
      When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
    6. Re:Forstering habitat. by CreatureComfort · · Score: 1

      Actually, that could be a BRILLIANT idea. Wave power pushes it down, cork pops it back up, rinse, repeat.

      They could double their output.

      --
      "Unheard of means only it's undreamed of yet,
      Impossible means not yet done." ~~ Julia Ecklar
    7. Re:Forstering habitat. by radarskiy · · Score: 1

      It is easier for starfish to wear slippers than to carpet the ocean.

  4. Some other benefits by Mapleperson · · Score: 1

    This carpet would could be set up in areas of coastal erosion. The energy taken from the wave is not available to destroy the coast so it could be a win win for certain area of the world.

  5. Tired of "Green" bullshit by dadelbunts · · Score: 1

    Im tired of all these "Green" projects that turn a blind eye to environmental impacts. Just build some goddamn nuclear reactors. Do people really think carpeting the goddamn ocean floor, or building huge dams, wont affect the ecosystem?

    1. Re:Tired of "Green" bullshit by gregor-e · · Score: 1

      TFA says: "The researchers are considering whether the ever-growing number of nearshore “dead zones” – low-oxygen regions in the ocean with little marine life – would be strong candidates for pilot testing their system."

    2. Re:Tired of "Green" bullshit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You might have a point there. The Chornobyl and Fukushima nature reserves would never have been created without nuclear power. And only when permafrost thaws will we realize the amount of radioactive contamination in Siberia. Nuclear power is great for nature, just not that great for people.

  6. Make Life by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The use of such devices in low oxygen dead zones might best be used to pump air into the water to make the dead zone a living habitat. Such a system does not have to be eco negative at all.

  7. Wello years ahead of Berkeley by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There is already a Finnish company called Wello doing this and they are way ahead.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-26314698

  8. Does it match the drapes? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just askin'