Aquatic Solar Innovation for Renewable Energy

An aquatic social innovation device called the 'Searaser' is set to take to the seas by storm and turn wave power into clean electricity. It is being developed by green energy company Ecotricity, and is an instrument that pumps saltwater to an onshore generator. It is being heralded by British ministers who recognise the potential of the wave and tidal power available to the UK. In fact, it could make a significant contribution to replacing coal and gas plants that emit the carbon dioxide that drives global warming.

Searaser works by using the rise and fall of a large float to pressurise water, and, unlike other wave power technologies, does not generate the electricity in the hostile environment of the ocean. Its Inventor Alvin Smith says, "If you put any device in the sea, it will get engulfed in storms, so it all has to be totally sealed. Water and electricity don't mix - and sea water is particularly corrosive - so most other devices are very expensive to manufacture and maintain." The most important social innovation aspect of this device is that it allows low-carbon energy to be stored in reservoirs on land and then released when required, which addresses irregular nature of much renewable energy. In Japan, grid electricity is used to pump the saltwater in order to store the energy for later use.

However, it is not without challenges, as a device that can survive the hostile marine environment has left its technology trailing behind other renewable energy sources and may be far from producing a meaningful amount of electricity for the National Grid. Ecotricity believes it is not over-ambitious to expect 200 of the 18 metre-deep, social innovation Searaser devices to be installed around the UK within five years, generating enough renewable electricity to power 236,000 homes.

Some argue that hydro is the cleanest and best social innovation in renewable energy. The UK government plans to more than double the subsidy available to marine energy. Greg Barker, Energy and Climate Change Minister says, "The UK leads the world in developing marine energy technology and it's vital that the sector continues to bring forward innovative new technologies." It is worth noting that the British government cut the marine energy deployment fund by 60% to £20m in June 2011!

However, the world recognises the need for renewable energy: in 2010 the global investment in social innovation renewable energy rose by 32% to $211 billion, and $142 billion of that was new financial investment, which excludes government and corporate funds. Each year, renewable energy takes over another percentage point of global electricity capacity. In 2007, 5% of the world's electricity was renewable; 2008, it was 6%; 2009 it was 7% and 2010 it was 8%...and it's still growing.

Photo Credit: fotopedia