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The “Oyster” – Scottish wave energy device goes live

By MB-BigB | November 29, 2009

On November 20th, Scotland’s first minister, Alex Salmond, flipped the switch and turned on what is being called the world’s largest working hydro-electric wave energy device. Named the Oyster, the device, which was built by Aquamarine Power, is located off the coast of Scotland at the European Marine Energy Centre’s Billia Croo site near of Stomness, Scotland, and is now producing power which is being fed into the national grid. The Oyster works by pumping high pressure water to an onshore hydro-electric turbine – no electrical components are located offshore.

Aquamarine Power's Oyster
Aquamarine Power's Oyster
The Oyster is a simple mechanical hinged flap that’s anchored to the seabed at a depth of about 30 ft (10 meters). Every wave that passes over the Oyster moves the flap, which drives hydraulic pistons that pump high pressure water through a pipeline to an onshore electrical turbine. Aquamarine Power says that 20 Oysters linked together can provide enough electricity to power about 9000 homes, and by using a simpler mechanical design to be deployed close to shore, will provide much cheaper and reliable power than other wave power designs. If you want to see an animation of how the Oyster works, click here.

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Topics: wave power | 3 Comments »

3 Responses to “The “Oyster” – Scottish wave energy device goes live”

  1. Tweets that mention The “Oyster” – Scottish wave energy device goes live | Alternative Energy Info -- Topsy.com Says:
    November 29th, 2009 at 10:27 am

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by smartecoliving, Paula Green. Paula Green said: The “Oyster” – Scottish wave energy device goes live | Alternative …: The world's largest hydro-electric wa… http://bit.ly/6N7u0J [...]

  2. PhillyP Says:
    November 30th, 2009 at 7:41 am

    this is amazing stuff but imo it will have implications for wildlife

  3. U.S. Legal Blog » Oyster Power Online Off Scotland Says:
    November 30th, 2009 at 4:33 pm

    [...] Aquamarine Power is a Scottish company developing the Oyster, a gargantuan wave-powered pump. This article at alt-energy.info turned me on to the Oyster, and features a must-see pic illustrating the [...]

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