The world’s oceans cover about 75% of the world’s surface. With the search for “greener” technologies at an all time high it was just a matter of time before scientists look towards the largest expanse on earth. Many green technologies take up numerous acres of precious land to provide the energy needed to run a city or nation where as the current coal burning or fossil fuel energy plants take up a minimal amount of land. To counter this scientists have turned to the ocean and particularly the waves. If you think about your trips to the beach you are more than likely going to picture the infinite amount of waves that consistently hit the shore. There is now a technology that can harness the power from these waves and convert it to useable green energy. The greatest part is there are no emissions of any sort and “wave farms” are already being used in Portugal to provide energy to 1,500 homes. The main drawback to this type of technology is the amount of area it takes to provide a meaningful amount of energy. While large areas off the coast must be dedicated to these “wave farms” the percentage used in comparison to the world’s oceans is minimal. This technology is still in its infant stages but has a great potential to take our demand off the current energy infrastructure in use. This type of technology would be implemented by cities or states thus local governments would bear the cost burdens opposed to the national government. Land-locked states would not be able to utilize this technology thus the need for many types of “green” technologies is a must to reduce America’s carbon footprint.
Below is a video on the physics behind this wave technology. It can explain exactly how “wave farms” work better than I can.
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Is your entire blog going to be about wave farms, or are you talk about other types of green technology as well? In the beginning of the paragraph you talk about how green technology would take up lots of land, I would provide a few specific examples of what green technology does that. Also, don't forget to explain how some green technology on the ocean also harms the environment and delicate ecology. I like how you explain why wind farms cannot solely become the world's source of green power. How would the "sea snake" mentioned in the video affect people surfing or playing the ocean? What about birds hunting for fish or penguins, seals and sea lions that come ashore to give birth? Also, what would be the effects on tourism and aesthetics? Overall, a very interesting first blog.
ReplyDeleteThis is actually my third post. I had another post about solar shingles and I will be exploring multiple water and solar energy producing technologies. In my previous posts I mentioned how "solar farms" would take up a lot of land to provide sufficient amounts of energy to cities or towns. In regards to the wave farms and ecology there will be some negative impacts however with all new technology there are pros and cons. For example, the current system of energy production in the United States has given us one of the highest carbon footprints in the world. The goal of green technology is to lessen the environmental impact we make due to our energy productions. Also, when it comes to people "surfing or playing" in the ocean the sea snakes will have a minimal impact. They are generally farther off the coast and like I mentioned they take up a miniscule percentage of the ocean's surface. When it comes to your last few questions the sea snake is not any more dangerous to the environment than current means of energy production. The sea snake sits on top of the surface and is in essence a large buoy. Also, the aesthetics are not going to be the most beautiful thing but, again, it’s better than enormous power plants.
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