600 foot snake could solve energy crisis

The Anaconda, a 600 foot lengthy device designed to harness the ability of the waves, could be our collective ticket to energy freedom.

The wave capability generator, designed by researchers at the University of Southampton and Checkmate Seaenergy, is essentially a 20-foot-wide rubber tube full of water. When anchored at sea, the waves cause the Anaconda to undulate, pushing a “bulgewave” to the bottom of the tube where it generates electricity thorough a small turbine. The ability is next transmitted back to land through a small cable.

The Anaconda technology has a number of

advantages by other renewables besides the ability to hilariously scare the crap out of unsuspecting scuba divers. For one thing, since the tube is made of rubber it has few moving parts and requires less maintenance than, say, a wind turbine.

It’s estimated that each Anaconda could produce adequate electricity to potential several hundred homes, and whether tests continue to be successful, “farms” with hundreds of the devices could be ready to go as early as 5 years from now.

Check out that animated video describing how the Anaconda works.

[Source] Patrick Metzger

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