They say the ocean is the lifeblood of the planet — and if a team of engineers can harness its kinetic energy, it could be a large source of endless power.
Scientists have been attempting to generate meaningful power from the 332,519,000 cubic miles of ocean water and waves for years. Now a company called Oscilla Power says it’s closing in on achieving this effort with a technology called Triton.
The technology involves floating platforms that house generators. As waves interact with the device, there is an alternating magnetic polarity created in the metal that is used to generate electricity.
But as available and plentiful as ocean water is, the engineers are facing tough challenges to creating machines that can produce utility-scale power while withstanding corrosive water and rough waves.
If successful, Oscilla Power says it could provide enough power to meet about 15 percent of global demand. In America, Bloomberg reports that the power could amount to one-third of our energy needs.
Triton is currently being tested on a small scale in a lab setting.
For more, check out this recent report on Triton from the National Science Foundation.