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Seadog Pump Could Usher in an Ocean-Powered Revolution

by Terrence O'Brien on May 29, 2008 at 11:03 AM

Seadog Pump Could Usher in an Ocean Powered Revolution
Generating usable amounts of power without burning fossil fuels or collecting piles of nuclear sludge has become the holy grail of the environmental movement and much of the scientific community. Solar has proven too expensive and inefficient so far, while wind power is criticized as unsightly and occasionally dangerous to wildlife.

Scientists have been searching for a way to harness the power of ocean waves and tidal flows, with varying degrees of success. Salt water corrodes electronics and the forces involved aren't nearly as dramatic as those at work at Niagara Falls or the Hoover Dam. A company out of Minnesota, Independent Natural Resources (INR), has developed the Seadog Pump, which churns out power from ocean waves at a relatively high efficiency, converting 22 percent of the ocean wave energy into usable energy. The Seadog also lacks any electronics, making it extraordinarily cheap and simple to build as well as making it much more resistant to the corrosive powers of the sea.

INR plans to have their first commercial facility up and running by the end of the year or early 2009. [Source: Crave]

Tags: electricity, power, science

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