16th December 2015 5:28 am
Stephen Salter, the father of wave power, has seen technology fall from favour only to come back into fashion. His new device aims to tackle global warming. Stuart Nathan reports
Wave power is on the rise. As concerns grow over the need for diverse ways to generate electricity without boosting greenhouse gas emissions, dozens of new devices are taking shape in wave tanks and slipping into the water for testing.
But wave power’s history dates back more than three decades and, if anyone can claim to be its founding father, it is veteran design engineer Stephen Salter. His Salter’s Duck is still the most efficient wave power converter. Now an emeritus professor at Edinburgh University, Salter is still working on ambitious designs for marine power systems some of which may help reduce global warming in unexpected ways.
northern and southern hemispheres. it s not. and in the 1970 s. scientists developed a series of new mechanisms intended to convert the energy of surface waves into electricity many believe that wave energy converters were on the verge of a breakthrough. and one such device was called the salter s duck named after its inventor stephen salter from adam burke the duck was tested wave but never on the open sea. and sensually these ideas fell by the wayside. in the early 2000 came a new attempt with this snake like offshore device it s linked cylindrical sections flex and bend in the waves and convert the motion into electricity but it never got past the prototype stage. german engineers are currently testing another system the
saw other ways of using marine energy this time focusing on the strength of waves. wind generation surface waves tend to be large and strong as high latitudes of the northern and southern hemispheres. in scotland in the 1970 s. scientists developed a series of new mechanisms intended to convert the energy of surface waves into electricity many believe that wave energy converters were on the verge of a breakthrough. to. one such device was called the salters dark named after its inventor stephen salter from edinburgh the duck was tested in wave but never on the open sea. eventually these ideas fell by the wayside. in the early 2000 came a new attempt with this snake like offshore device its link cylindrical sections