Here First - Science and Technology Blog

We can produce a lot of electric power from alternative sources of energy. On of these sources can be found in the waves! Portugal realized that and built Agucadoura, the world's first wave farm off its coast. There are  three Wave Energy Converters generating a total of 2.25MW. The elongated metal contraptions bob up and down with the waves, while internal pistons, attached to the sea floor, remain stationary and pump hydraulic fluid. All this mechanic arsenal drives electric generators. The electric power is brought ashore by underwater electrical cables. The wave farm is now tapping into enough constant, renewable energy to power 1500 homes. Who knew there was so much power in the ocean waves? Imagine what we can do with many of these farms all over the oceans. But it seems there is no interest in this at this time.  I hope in the near future generators such these will be one of the clean alternative for an energy-starved planet.

This is a small prototype generator recently debuted from Omron Corp. It harnesses power from vibrations to create electricity. The model will cost 10.36$ because of its simple structure and packaging. Omron’s generator works with an “electret power generation system” that changes capacitance depending on the relative position of opposing electrodes. A change in capacitance generates electric current. The prototype you see in picture above produces only 10μW of power with vibrational inputs at 20Hz frequency and 1G acceleration. This is not enough to fully operate a cell phone. But despite its minimal generated power there are important uses for this prototype. The generator will be placed in devices installed on highways to detect road problems. The generator could also be installed inside car tires for tire pressure monitoring since tires vibrate strongly during movement.