[BITList] power galore

[David Harvey]

Mmmm,

I'm no engineer as many down the engineers alleyway would attest, and an even worse electrician. Seem to remember something like this in high school though, but the problem that had to be overcome was something called friction.

As to the wave power project we have a wave power farm off Fremantle. What, for want of a better description looks something like a large buoy  is moored to the ocean floor, but submerged. As I, a mere deckie, understands is that action of the swell, not waves, which is fairly constant, causes the buoys to move up and down, giving power to a pumping arrangement that pipes seawater ashore to operate a turbine. An additional benefit is that the water can also be used as a feed stock for a desalination plant and I believe heat is also produced that can also be used by such a plant. Whilst we do have a desal plant here it is not married up to this source, but is allegedly powered by green energy from wind. The wind turbines however are three hundred or so k's away on the south coast.

Tom, if he gets off his couch, his normal workplace, may explain it better.

Dave
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