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Showing posts from April, 2011

More than just a source of fun: an energy resource

Yes, waves are great for a sweet surf, boogie-boarding, and just general beach wading, but if it could be utilized as more than just a recreational catalyst, then why not? "Wave farms have been tried in such places as Scotland and Australia. All work on the same principle: capturing the motion of ocean waves and turning it into electricity. In recent years companies have developed a vast array of devices, including hydrokinetic buoys that bob in the surf, hulking underwater turbines and huge, partly submerged "sea snakes" — tubes that use wave action to power electric generators. A collection of partially submerged cylindrical devices placed off the coast of Portugal in 2008 was heralded as the world's first wave farm." I came across this article on the Los Angeles Times site, reporting on the prospect of bringing wave energy harnessing technology to Southern California. I am a proponent of research on wave energy technology, but I admit the