Capturing Water Power With Plastic Grid  E-mail
Written by Jaymi Heimbuch   
Friday, 29 August 2008

The ocean isn’t the only focal point for wave-generated electricity. The Kiskiminetas River in Vandergrift, Pennsylvania is about to be home to a new way to create electricity from water.

Reserachers have devised a new system that encompasses a grid of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) placed on the bottom of the river, the undulating movement of which will generate electricity. The electrical current generated would pass to substations along the river bank, ultimately charging a group of batteries. The city is looking to harness enough power from the river to cover 20-40% of its needs.

The first system is going to be a grid about 30 yards wide by about 1 mile long, but the details on the precise make-up are still in the works. Laying the grid at the bottom of the river will help maintain the integrity of the area, which is used for fishing, boats, and so on.

How plant life might affect the system is not detailed, but researchers feel that this is a much more eco-friendly system, leaning more towards biomimicry, than damming a river ever was.

Via Discovery; photo via mhoppe


Comments (2)add
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written by Jacob , August 30, 2008
A "grid" design is another word for a "net"
we're going to be putting plastic nets at the bottom of rivers and call it biomimicry? I guess an oil spill is also biomimicry because sharks naturally kill sea creatures as well.
...
written by Bob Wallace , August 31, 2008
A net with large holes catches nothing.
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