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Rubber snake to harness wave power
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Rubber snake to harness wave power

2008-07-07
Newsfeed

Engineers at the University of Southampton have developed a giant rubber 'snake' which can produce electricity by harnessing the power of waves.

Engineers at the University of Southampton have developed a giant rubber 'snake' which can produce electricity by harnessing the power of waves.

The Anaconda could produce more energy than existing wave-energy technology and be cheaper to maintain, its developers say.

It consists of a flexible rubber tube which is closed at both ends and filled completely with water. It is designed to be anchored below the sea's surface, with one end facing oncoming waves. The impact of the waves squeezes the tube and causes a current to form which then turns a turbine fitted at the other end of the device.

The researchers, who have been testing small-scale Anacondas in a wave tank, now intend to embark on a programme of larger scale laboratory experiments and mathematical studies. They anticipate that full-scale versions would be 200 metres long and seven metres wide.

"In engineering terms, it is unlike any other offshore structure," engineer John Chaplin told New Scientist magazine. "It's not a solid structure like an oil platform and it doesn't behave like a boat either."

Copyright © The Press Association 2008


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