Smiley Movement logo

Seaweed-style device generates underwater electricity

Words by Smiley Team

Researchers at The American Chemical Society took inspiration from nature when developing an innovative way to harness tidal energy that will allow coastal equipment to run more sustainably.

Engineering professor Zhong Lin Wang and his colleagues designed the ‘triboelectric nanogenerators’ (TENGs) to be as flexible as seaweed. While capturing tidal energy, these gadgets bend and rotate with the ocean’s movement, similar to plants growing on the sea bed.

[Discover more exciting innovations improving the world's access to clean energy]

“I am pleased about our invention of the triboelectric nanogenerator using a well-known phenomenon: triboelectricity,” said Professor Wang. “This invention is a disruptive technology for harvesting low-frequency and low amplitude mechanical energy from the environment, biological systems and even ocean waves.”

The generators offer a more eco-friendly source of energy to replace the batteries predominantly used to power devices at sea or the ‘marine internet of things’ – networks of electronic equipment dotted around busy coastal areas that are necessary for ship navigation and to monitor water quality.

Making waves in engineering

Tidal energy is the most effective alternative to non-renewable energy sources for the purpose of powering devices effectively; as the team explains, wind and solar power would not work for underwater devices.

Their initial plan was to create floating devices that would convert wave energy into electricity using rotating magnets. However, they discovered that the ocean’s surface moved much less than currents near the sea bed, which led them to investigate options for below water. 

[Read positive news stories about the people and organisations doing good around the world]

This research into other nanosystems will continue, with researchers developing more nanotechnology, based on systems and elements that operate at a microscopic level. Their work has the potential to offer innovative solutions in many other areas.

Wang added: “My research on self-powered nanosystems has inspired the worldwide effort in academia and industry for harvesting ambient energy for micro-nano-systems.”

This article aligns with the following UN SDGs

You might also like…