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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."

4 of 20 comments (clear)

  1. 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.

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    2. 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?

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  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.