Pumping is made possible by the motion of waves lifting the device, Searaser, as it floats in the sea, and gravity bringing it down again in the wave troughs. A prototype has just completed tests in which it pumped water more than 160ft (50m) uphill through a pipe the diameter of a saucer. The full-size device is expected to pump water through a pipe the diameter of a dustbin lid up at least 650ft (200m) – or easily enough to clear the top of Beachy Head, which is 530ft (160m) high.A series of reservoirs would be built – and in some areas would be reopened – at the top of coastal cliffs and hills to store water until it was needed to generate electricity.
Alvin Smith, the engineer who developed Searaser, envisages alternative uses such as pumping desalinated water inland for irrigation in dry countries.
However, he said its main use would be to help Britain to end its reliance on fossil fuels and so reduce the man-made emissions of carbon dioxide that are blamed widely for causing, or at least contributing significantly to, climate change. (The Times Online)
