Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Michigan researchers have an idea for creating electricity
from slower currents. A series of pipes would stick out of the
ocean l oor. As the current passes by the pipes, it would make
them vibrate. These vibrations are a form of energy that could
be used to power a turbine and generate electricity. The pipes
could create electricity from currents slower than 2 miles
(3 kilometers) per hour.
Hot and Cold Water
The Sun plays a role in another form of water power. Along the
equator
, the ocean's temperature can reach higher than 90º
u
Seeing the
Value of Heat
During the 1800s, French author Jules Verne wrote
several topics in which he imagined great inventions that
were not yet built at the time. He suggested the idea of
ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) in his 1870 topic
Twenty Thousands Leagues Under the Sea. In 1882, a
French scientist said Verne's idea could actually be done.
The scientist, Jacques-Arsène d'Arsonval, wanted to
use the heat in the ocean to boil a gas that could power
a turbine. Years later, Georges Claude—another French
scientist—developed an OTEC system that directly turned
ocean water into steam. In 1930, Claude built the fi rst
working OTEC system off the coast of Cuba. Sadly, the
plant was destroyed in a storm.
