(Credit: PNNL)Tsunamis, hurricanes, and maritime weather are monitored using sensors and other devices on platforms in the ocean to help keep coastal communities safe. But what happens when the batteries run out of power?
Without power, ocean sensors can't collect critical wave and weather data, which results in safety concerns for coastal communities that rely on accurate maritime weather information. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) researchers are working to power batteries with energy from ocean waves through the development of a new cylindrical triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG)—a small powerhouse that converts wave energy into electricity to power devices at sea. Larger versions of this generator could be used to power ocean observation and communications systems, including acoustic and satellite telemetry.
This patent-pending frequency-multiplied cylindrical triboelectric nanogenerator (FMC-TENG) uses carefully placed magnets to convert energy more efficiently than other cylindrical TENGs and transforms slow, uniform waves into electricity. So far, the prototype FMC-TENG has been able to produce enough electricity to power an acoustic transmitter—a type of sensor often included on ocean observing platforms that can be used for communications.
As the team fine-tunes its design for commercial use, the FMC-TENG is expected to produce enough power to run an entire open ocean monitoring platform including multiple sensors and satellite communications. Additionally, the FMC-TENG is fairly light and can be used in both free-floating devices and moored platforms.
In 2021, marine energy developer Minesto and Schneider Electric entered a Memorandum of Understanding to work together to develop and build ocean energy farms based on Minesto’s Deep Green technology.
The collaboration between Minesto and Schneider Electric aims at accelerating the commercial roll-out of marine energy to enable the global transition towards net-zero societies, where energy systems that include plannable, renewable energy production are necessary.
