Scientists create sea-power generating 'Anaconda'

Scientists may have discovered a new way to combat the global energy crisis -- and they're calling it the "Anaconda" (we'll give you a moment to purge your mind of any J. Lo films). The system works by utilizing the power of the ocean and long, black rubber tubes (hence the name). The rubber "snakes" are laid just below the sea's surface where they're pounded by the ocean's waves. That movement creates "bulge waves" inside the water-filled tubes, which are then carried up through the devices to a turbine, which in turn sends the energy it produces to shore via cables. So far scientists have only tested the system on a small scale, though they say the full-size devices could be 200 meters long and seven meters in diameter. That's one giant, deadly snake.

[GreezyG @ Jul 3rd 2008 2:36PM]

once you go black...you never go back

[ybd @ Jul 3rd 2008 3:13PM]

once you go lowest ranked...you never go back

[Dave @ Jul 3rd 2008 4:54PM]

Yeah, but my DVD version on an upscaling player is just a good.

[saintchuck @ Jul 3rd 2008 6:58PM]

By 'just as good', you mean crap?

[Kurian @ Jul 4th 2008 5:13AM]

@ DAVE

I'm sure you are using only the single Yellow composite cable too.

[Justin42 @ Jul 7th 2008 5:31PM]

A lot of un-used power is being wasted crushing rocks and making sand world-wide. This is a nice idea. Finding places where it dosn't interfere with boat-traffic might be a challenge, but it should be doable. Maybe just on the other side of a breakwater. Sink them about 20feet or so and put them out of the way of major shipping lanes and i'd think it wouldn't be much of a problem.

How deep are most small-boat hulls? Fishing or private? Find that depth at low-tide and it should almost never get hit.

So, what is the plan in case it does get hit? How easy is it to patch and how much damage would a cut cause?

[yode @ Jul 3rd 2008 2:39PM]

Some memorable quotes by my man Ice Cube in the film Anaconda:
Cube: Hold on I think I can blow it up.
...
Cube: That's it, man. I'm getting the hell back to L.A...

[Wicker24 @ Jul 3rd 2008 4:18PM]

Ya it was a real stretch for him to play a black from L.A. that is afraid of snakes.

[Blackstar @ Jul 3rd 2008 9:17PM]

Can't wait until he does Hamlet. "Yo, to be or not to be cuz."

[Danakin @ Jul 3rd 2008 2:43PM]

interesting...people sure are coming up with some clever ways to generate energy.

[peekinde @ Jul 3rd 2008 4:44PM]

i invented a way to harness solar energy thru the process called lightraysynthesis

then i store them energies by feeding it to pack of huskay doggies, mmkay

then i make my dogs run a threadmill to power the refrigerator that they stay in.

that way i have a free fridgeration

[coffee @ Jul 3rd 2008 2:43PM]

I don't want none, unless you got buns, hun.


//got nothing

[thedesolate1 @ Jul 3rd 2008 2:44PM]

I recall some certain interweb cables being cut under the ocean close to Africa a few months ago.. I don't want my electricity being cut by some Jihadists.

[Rogue_Genius @ Jul 3rd 2008 6:01PM]

Nice , your comment made me LOL (+1)

However, you do know that "jihadist" is a word made up by people who don't speak Arabic and don't understand Islam, right?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mujahideen

[Joe @ Jul 3rd 2008 6:24PM]

Read "Islam and Terrorism" by Dr Mark A Gabriel.


Also, at 7 meters in diameter it seems it would be hard for anyone to cut these.

[notYou @ Jul 3rd 2008 10:45PM]

rogueIdiot: Most of us didn't speak German, understand the Nazi "perspective", and as yanks we called 'em 'krauts, yet the world figured out pretty quickly that stopping them (preferably by killing) was the best thing to do for the whole planet. Oh, we had to do the same to the 'japs and Mussolini's stormtroopers too. Sorry we didn't stop to make sure we knew the language and thoroughly understood their grievances before eventually bombing them into oblvion.

Whew! Thank God We Did.

Cheers!

[Wwhat @ Jul 4th 2008 3:11AM]

And what's wrong with not speaking arabic and using local derivatives to describe them?

[bob sakamano @ Jul 3rd 2008 2:46PM]

So far scientsists have only tested the system on a small scale, though they say the full-size devices could be 200 meters long and seven meters in diameter.

"scientsists"

LOL!!!!!! LOLOLOL

[Joshua Topolsky @ Jul 3rd 2008 3:41PM]

Thanks Bob. Helpful as usual!

[Jacob @ Jul 3rd 2008 3:43PM]

Wow, you must not get out much.

[bob sakamano @ Jul 3rd 2008 3:46PM]

joshy....

i was a spellchecker in my past life

[maff @ Jul 3rd 2008 5:13PM]

true, how hard can it be to run something through word or openoffice, or by browser plugin?

[kal326 @ Jul 3rd 2008 2:47PM]

"My anacondia don't want none unless you got...." turbines?

Interesting approach and its suppose to be cheaper then existing systems. Interesting to see if it actually pans out to anything.

[Lowest Ranked @ Jul 3rd 2008 2:56PM]

I'm guessing these arms can 'collect' more turbulance than just sticking the turbine underwater? Think, water wheel under a waterfall.

Is the middle man really necessary here?

[bob sakamano @ Jul 3rd 2008 2:48PM]

So far scientsists have only tested the system on a small scale, though they say the full-size devices could be 200 meters long and seven meters in diameter.

never trust a scientsist!

[Boarderwoot @ Jul 3rd 2008 2:51PM]

This sounds like a great idea until Joe Schmoe in his sweater vest takes his sail boat out for a nice day on the water and inadvertantly chops through these snakes hidden just under the surface of the water and knocks out all the power to the eastern seaboard.

[Josh L @ Jul 3rd 2008 6:20PM]

The point of the alternative energy movement is not to replace our current gas/oil/petrol/coal-burning infrastructure with one single method of generation, but to diversify it with numerous methods.

... Well, actually the "point" of it is feel-good politics, but the real point for rational, thinking people is that. If there is a cloudy day in Arizona, the hydroelectric plants can cover the rest of the load. If there's no wind to power turbines someplace, these 'Anaconda' things could pick up some slack. If there's a shortage some other place, nuclear or back-up emergency non-green plants can generate, etc.

It also means that our power-generating infrastructure is that much more resistant to failure or attack, by virtue of being so diverse and spread-out.

[jason @ Jul 3rd 2008 2:53PM]

This will be interesting to see.

First, we have giant wind turbines, which on the open sea can probably generate much more than these anaconda things.

however they are expensive.

but, they only have a "foot" of around 15 foot radius. so it does not impede boats.

however, these things probably generate less electricty, probably less expensive (no need for giant machinery) and more attractive, however their long large structure may disrupt vessels, and animals.

so it will be interesting seeing the pros and cons.

[Justin42 @ Jul 7th 2008 5:18PM]

Don't think it will bother animals much.. they are used to attaching/using structures like this. Infact, one of the major long-term costs of this kind of projects would be to keep them clean of things growing on them.

[Hardcore @ Jul 3rd 2008 2:54PM]

Nothing new, this has been in Popular Science and various media outlets for a couple of years now. A prototype has been deployed off the coast of Scotland for quite some time.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6410839.stm

[Joshua Topolsky @ Jul 3rd 2008 3:46PM]

Actually this link describes a completely different technology utilizing metal tubes. If you had read the source material, you would have noted that one of the advantages to the rubber tubing is the fact that they have no moving parts, and therefore are less likely to break. Also, the power doesn't seem to be generated by "bulge waves" as it is in the above system, nor are the snakes placed below the sea-surface.

[Zach @ Jul 3rd 2008 4:56PM]

@Josh

I'm not sure if there were many articles written about it at the time, but I did see a video in physics class last year of these. Not sure its "breaking" news, but maybe not many know about them, and they are pretty cool too!

[Viru @ Jul 3rd 2008 2:56PM]

Anchor... I just killed the anaconda

[Boarderwoot @ Jul 3rd 2008 2:59PM]

"200 meters long"...sounds like just another fish tale to me.


and that's what she said.

[kjb434 @ Jul 3rd 2008 3:06PM]

That's where my condoms went!

[Alex Kirby @ Jul 3rd 2008 3:11PM]

This type of wave power retrieval has been in use for quite some time. There is a facility of the portuguese coast at this moment

[Rick @ Jul 3rd 2008 3:14PM]

Snakes? Sigmund Freud would be happy.

[teecas @ Jul 3rd 2008 3:21PM]

I'm tired of these m*****f****** snakes in this m*****f****** ocean!

[teecas @ Jul 3rd 2008 3:22PM]

I'm tired of these m*****f****** snakes in this m*****f****** ocean!

[The Dude @ Jul 3rd 2008 4:06PM]

Anaconda?

- "Oh, is that the one with the giant snake?"

- "No. *THIS* is the one with the giant snake. I was back here for 45 minutes waiting for a setup. My back is killing me, but I nailed it. It's about commitment."

High-fives all around for The Todd.

[Jake @ Jul 3rd 2008 9:24PM]

everyone stand perfectly still...

[elliotcarvalho @ Jul 3rd 2008 4:20PM]

its called a wave farm, newbs

[Andrew @ Jul 3rd 2008 4:31PM]

A revolutionary way to make me feel even less safe swimming in the ocean.

[Tom @ Jul 3rd 2008 6:35PM]

With all of the moment of waves in the ocean, hitting the shore, etc, it will be nice to see if we can harness that energy. Or how about harnessing energy FROM hurricanes, and tornadoes, or lightning storms. Have a big rod that directs lightning to something that can instantly charge big sets of batteries.

We can do this!

[Wwhat @ Jul 4th 2008 3:17AM]

No we can't.

[Bill @ Jul 3rd 2008 10:13PM]

Sounds like another NIMBY candidate.

[Wwhat @ Jul 4th 2008 3:23AM]

This is getting weirder and weirder, now engadget sometimes shows comments and then the next refresh does not and then the next shows them again, and it's seemingly random recent comments to boot, not just your own that come and go.

[David @ Jul 4th 2008 5:09PM]

Flashback 1993! Remember from the Atlantic Accelerator mission from the original Syndicate?

Life mimics art!

[G @ Jul 8th 2008 7:41PM]

Sounds a lot like the Lancaster University Wave Power device developed (and superceeded by more advanced designs) in the late 70's. The British government has been letting the Pro-Nuclear Lobby control where grant money goes in respect of "renewables" for the last 30 years... so we STILL dont have any operational wave energy devices despite having masses of coastline and lots of waves... but hey we have a shed load of knackered, overpriced, liabilities of nuclear power plants and plans to build more so it's all good ey?

The Portugeese have a plan to build a shed load of Pelemis though