Giant Snake-Shaped Generators Could Capture Wave Power

Roland Piquepaille writes "UK researchers have developed a prototype of a future giant rubber tube which could catch energy from sea waves. The device, dubbed Anaconda, uses 'long sea waves to excite bulge waves which travel along the wall of a submersed rubber tube. These are then converted into flows of water passing through a turbine to generate electricity.' So far, the experiments have been done with tubes with diameters of 0.25 and 0.5 meters. But if the experiments are successful, future full-scale Anaconda devices would be 200 meters long and 7 meters in diameter, and deployed in water depths of between 40 and 100 meters. An Anaconda would deliver an output power of 1MW (enough to power 2,000 houses). These devices would be deployed in groups of 20 or even more providing cheap electricity without harming our environment."

say that again?

[circletimessquare]

'long sea waves to excite bulge waves which travel along the wall of a submersed rubber tube. These are then converted into flows of water passing through a turbine to generate electricity.'

and called the anaconda?

i don't know if this scheme will work, but hands down, that is the most sexual innuendo i've heard in an energy generation scheme in a long time

Sounds interesting

[ColdWetDog]

And has a fairly small footprint for a 20 Megawatt solution - might be a good fit for small to moderate coastal towns.

I just want to see the boat captain who wanders unknowingly into a field of these things at night. Snakes on a boat!

Baby got back

[Anonymous Coward]

and called the anaconda?

My anaconda don't want none
Unless you've got buns, hon

Would someone get those...

[Anonymous Coward]

motherfucking snake generators on the motherfucking grid!

Re:say that again?

[IvyKing]

i don't know if this scheme will work, but hands down, that is the most sexual innuendo i've heard in an energy generation scheme in a long time

You should have seen the write up in The Register (AKA Vulture Central) on this.

Re:Intercourse the penguins

[Anonymous Coward]

someone could likely come up with some way of harnessing the energy.

Re:Sounds interesting

[JanneM]

"Well, if the boat captain finds himself at 40 to 100 meters depth, he has other things to worry about."

Snakes on a Submarine! Extended, Elongated Edition! Immensely Increased Inadvertent Innuendo! Alliterations Aplenty!! With a Thousand Elephants!!!

Re:Intercourse the penguins

[Repton]

"Actually putting a number on the rate of bird deaths is somewhat controversial, as its fairly difficult to count them, given that it happens so infrequently."

Clearly, we must build more wind farms so that we can gather more accurate data!

Re:Baby got back

[palegray.net]

Thank God someone finally gave Sir Mix-a-Lot [wikipedia.org] the long overdue credit he richly deserves as a true environmentalist, humanitarian, and supporter of renewable bun energy extraction technologies. It's about time we broke the oil cartels' blockage on innovation and hooked up generators to all those pulsating rumps!

I say, let them do all the side bends and situps they want, since the calories expending in diminishing that rump will surely guide us into a new era of plentiful energy for all.

Re:Not So Funny: Threshold of Renewable Resources

[twiddlingbits]

over-rated and incomplete..I'd mod you down. Fusion is limitless energy and it's renewable as long as we have water (i.e. clouds, rain, oceans, rivers, lakes). Biofuels are renewable but not 100% as you lose some to seed. Just use all your cropland on biofuels and people starve so you have less population! Population problem solved! PC and population growth in the USA? Abortion is legal, birth control is practiced and family size is smaller. A lot of people will disagree with expanding by immigration being the best route, and it's certainly NOT an official policy. We have more illegal immigrants than legal immigrants! Go play the old computer game where you are the Pharoh and have limited resources to keep your nation happy and growing. That will give you some insights into how hard it is to balance everything.

Re:It's about time

[CrazyJim1]

Don't forget we're slowing the moon's orbit around the Earth which inevitably will lead to the moon falling into the Earth.

Re:say that again?

[Anonymous Coward]

Go jack off and when you come back everything will sound normal again.

That's your solution to everything, isn't it?

Re:Not So Funny: Threshold of Renewable Resources

[Falconhell]

Oh I dont know, I seem to find the US population extremely dense, I mean they voted for Bush.....

Re:renewables are boutique

[Keeper Of Keys]

Going nuclear would probably also help deal with that pesky overpopulation problem the GP was going on about.

Re:Better description

[Yaotzin]

I'm not sure if it's my mind that is warped, but does that not very much look like a giant penis?