Can a Shark's Tail & Kelp Play a Role in the Planet's Energy Future?

A fascinating example of a next-generation power source mimicking the genius of nature is the Australian firm BioPower Systems, which  has developed Biowave and the bioSTREAM: an ocean power system that harnesses energy from both wave and tides by mimicking the motion of underwater plants and fish in the ocean currents to generate electricity.

Biomimicry is a new science that studies nature’s best ideas and then imitates these designs and processes to solve human problems. Studying a leaf to invent a better solar cell is an example of this “innovation inspired by nature.”

Being that the supply of crude oil is finite, the very foundation of our economy will one day run dry. Nature, on the other hand, runs on the unlimited bounty of sunlight and creates no waste. Unlimited clean energy is just one example of the genius of nature which author Janine Benyus points out in her landmark work, Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature.

The wave power system, bioWAVE, mimics the swaying motion of sea plants, like kelp. The device, which is anchored to the ocean floor, has buoyant “blades” which oscillate with the flow of waves. What was particularly interesting was that in violent stormy conditions, the system will automatically lie flush against the bottom, preventing or at least minimizing damage.

The bioSTREAM mimics the principle of Thunniform, the main method of locomotion of large fish, commonly seen as the side to side motion of the tail. The system, however, uses the principle in reverse. Instead of being propelled forward, the anchored generator turns the tail fin from one side to another, capturing the flowing water on its surface, pushing the “tail” section, the resisting torque of which produces electricity to be fed back to land. It can align itself with current flows, avoiding damage and overloads during extreme conditions.

Biowave is but one example of biomimicking many that Benyus points out we would do well to learn from: Arctic fish and frogs freeze solid and then spring to life, having protected their organs from ice damage. Black bears hibernate all winter without poisoning themselves on their urea, while their polar cousins stay active with a coat of transparent hollow hairs covering their skins like the panes of a greenhouse. Chameleons and cuttlefish hide without moving, changing the pattern of their skin to instantly blend with their surroundings. Bees, turtles, and birds navigate without maps, while whales and penguins dive without scuba gear.

How do they do it? How do dragonflies outmaneuver our best helicopters? How do hummingbirds cross the Gulf of Mexico on less than one tenth of an ounce of fuel? How do ants carry the equivalent of hundreds of pounds in a dead heat through the jungle? How do muscles attach to rock in a wet environment?

The answers to these questions may seem like trivia to non-expert, but "The difference between what life needs to do and what we need to do is another one of those boundaries that doesn't exist. Beyond mattes of scale, the differences dissolve."

BioPower Systems is currently testing a prototype off the coast of Tasmania. A prototype unit of 250kw will inform the company on how to best deploy a larger scale system which in turn is expected to provide power to Flinders and King islands, and in the future, if successful, the entire state of Victoria, home of the city of Melbourne.

Posted by Casey Kazan.

Comments

[Qev]

One thing I wonder about, when it comes to technologies of this sort, whether it be tidal-, or wave-, or even wind-generated power, is if we're making the exact same sort of mistake we always seem to make: the blind spot of "We'll never run out of..."

All of these technologies use the kinetic energy of moving fluids (eg. wind, water), capturing that energy and converting it into electrical energy. Obviously, there's a lot of kinetic energy tied up in the wind and in ocean currents and tides. But won't massive exploitation of this energy have at least local ecological consequences? Perhaps not wind so much, but I could see disrupting ocean currents (or even the waves washing against a shoreline) having negative consequences on the local seagoing flora and fauna...