Companies and governments are counting on underwater turbines, submerged "wind" farms, and wave-riding electrical generators to use ocean turbulence to keep the lights on
FINAVERA AQUABUOY Finavera Renewables has signed a contract to by 2012 begin delivering energy for San Francisco-based Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) in North America's first commercial power purchase agreement for a two megawatt wave-energy project. Courtesy of Finavera Renewables
WAVE ENERGY CONVERSION As SRI buoys raise up and down and absorb energy from the waves, an accordion-like device made of artificial muscle expands and contracts, creating mechanical energy that is then converted into electricity. Courtesy of SRI International
OH, BUOY SRI International tested a prototype buoy-mounted, ocean wave-powered generator off the coast of Florida in the Tampa Bay. Courtesy of SRI International
GULF STREAM Researchers at Florida Atlantic University's Center of Excellence in Ocean Energy Technology envision energy-producing technologies that could take advantage of the Gulf Stream, which flows northward about 15 miles (24 kilometers) off Florida's southern and eastern shores at more than eight billion gallons (30 billion liters) per second. Courtesy of Florida Atlantic University
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POWER PROJECT Lunar Energy Ltd. in March 2007 announced a deal with power utility E.On U.K. to develop a tidal stream power project using Rotech Tidal Turbines to generate up to eight megawatts in the sea off the west coast of the U.K. Courtesy of Lunar Energy Ltd.
TIDAL POWER As the tidal stream passes through the turbine developed by Rotech Engineering Ltd. and Lunar Energy Ltd. it forces the rotor blades to turn. This motion is resisted by a hub-mounted hydraulic pump, which delivers high-pressure oil through hydraulic motors that in turn drive electrical generators producing electricity. Courtesy of Lunar Energy Ltd.
WAVE ENERGY CONVERSION Three Pelamis machines, which work best in 164 to 230 feet (50 to 70 meters) depth and roughly 3.7 miles (six kilometers) from the shore, can produce up to 2.25 megawatts. Courtesy of Pelamis Wave Power Ltd.
BIG RED ONE Each Pelamis machine is about 426.5 feet (130 meters) long, 13 feet (four meters) in diameter, weighing about 750 tons and with a life expectancy of up to 20 years. Courtesy of Pelamis Wave Power Ltd.
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CATCH THE WAVE The Pelamis big red tubes flex as the ocean swells around them, turning mechanical power into energy. Courtesy of Pelamis Wave Power Ltd.
WAVE POWER Pelamis Wave Power has taken its prototype red attenuator floating wave-energy devices through about 2,000 hours of operational testing at the European Marine Energy Center's wave test site near Scotland's Orkney Islands. Courtesy of Pelamis Wave Power Ltd.
TURBULENT Verdant's East River installation produced nearly 50,000 kilowatt-hours of energy from December 2006 to May 2007, but the fiberglass blades, which broke under the force of the tides, will by the end of April be replaced with ones made of magnesium alloy. Courtesy of Verdant Power
FIELD OF DREAMS Verdant's New York testing spot has the potential to support as many as 300 turbines and nearly 10 megawatts of installed capacity. Courtesy of Verdant Power
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ON THE GRID Verdant Power believes its tidal turbines can by the end of 2010 can deliver up to 1.5 megawatts of energy to New York City's electrical grid. Courtesy of Verdant Power
EAST RIVER Since 2002, Verdant Power's Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy (RITE) project has operated in New York City's East River, along the eastern shore of Roosevelt Island. Courtesy of Verdant Power
TIDAL TURBINE Verdant Power's kinetic hydropower underwater turbines are designed to generate electricity from the water currents of tides, rivers and manmade channels. Courtesy of Verdant Power
