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Researchers have developed a device that harnesses the power of the sea to push water uphill to provide cheap renewable electricity.
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According to a report in the Times, the invention, known as ‘Searaser’, is designed to pump water hundreds of feet above sea level from where it can gush downhill to drive hydroelectric generators.

Pumping is made possible by the motion of waves lifting the device, as it floats in the sea, and gravity bringing it down again in the wave troughs.

Alvin Smith, the engineer who developed Searaser, has already envisaged alternative uses of the device such as pumping desalinated water inland for irrigation in dry countries.

However, he said its main use would be to help Britain to end its reliance on fossil fuels and so reduce the man-made emissions of carbon dioxide that are blamed widely for causing, or at least contributing significantly to, climate change.

If successful, the device could help Britain to meet its target of getting 15% of its energy from renewable sources.

According to Smith, one of the big advantages of the wave device is that the turbines that would be used to generate electricity are a proven technology and have been in use for years in hydroelectric installations in hilly areas where water can be held in reservoirs.

The wave pump consists of two floats, one above the other, fitted to a double-acting piston. Water is pumped as the floats are forced together and apart by the motion of the waves. Chains and weights fix the device to the sea floor and the pump is able to operate in water as shallow as 30ft as well as in extreme weather conditions.

Sources: The Times Of India