A Turbine Inspired by a Big-Mouth Shark

Saturday, 2.5.2011 - 20:40 (Renewable Energy World)

Anthony Reale got the idea one night while watching a nature show on the basking shark, a type of whale shark that uses its gaping mouth to feed on plankton. The product-design student from Detroit’s College for Creative Studies began to draw. What emerged was a promising technology that could be a major breakthrough in hydrokinetic energy production. Reale found that the basking shark filters water through its gills, creating a slipstream that allows the shark to swim with less effort. He applied the same concept to a twin-bladed turbine in hopes of developing a better way to produce power from fast-flowing rivers. Tests conducted at the University of Michigan’s Read more