OPTIMIST’S GUIDE | BREAKTHROUGHS
THE APPARATUS ABOVE derives energy
from the rise and fall of ocean waves
and converts it into electricity. The
technology, from the Swedish company
Eco Wave Power, utilizes a sophisticated
system of floats and hydraulic pistons.
When a wave passes through the
machine, the floats on the device move
up and down, compressing and decom-
pressing the pistons. The pressure
from the pumping pistons powers a
hydraulic motor; its mechanical energy
is harnessed by a generator and turned
into electricity. Because the apparatus
is designed to be attached to coastal
structures such as breakwaters, it has a
much lower start-up cost than similar
devices used offshore. —ANNIE ROTHCLEAN ENERGYHOW TO
HARNESS
WAVE
POWER
A SWEDISH
COMPANY HAS
CREATED A DEVICE
THAT CAN DRAW
CHEAP, CLEAN
ENERGY FROM
THE CHURNING
OF OCEAN WAVES.DISPATCHES
FROM THE FRONT LINES
OF SCIENCE
AND TECHNOLOGYCLEAN WATERMAKING PAINT
WITH POLLUTANTS
In Appalachian
Ohio many streams
have been polluted
with iron and other
minerals in runoff
draining from
abandoned coal
mines. Ridding the
waterways of metals
is expensive, but
two Ohio University
professors have
found a way to help
the process pay for
itself. Guy Riefler,
an environmental
engineer, extracts
iron from the
polluted water.
When the result-
ing material is
fired at different
temperatures by
art professor John
Sabraw, it changes
color—and can be
used in pigments
(below) that
Sabraw and other
artists employ
in their work.
—ARMove over, Edison
Light-emitting diodes, or LEDs,
are the bulbs of the future
(and the present). They can burn
25 times longer than incandescent
lighting yet use up to 80 percent
less electricity. By 2035, LEDs
are expected to cut U.S. energy
consumption from lighting by more
than three-fourths. —DANIEL STONEPHOTOS (FROM TOP):
MARK THIESSEN, NGM STAFF
(COMPOSITE OF TWO IMAGES);
ECO WAVE POWER;
REBECCA HALE, NGM STAFF