Important Innovations

  GreenWave's Regenerative Ocean Vertical Farming                                                         Source:  GreenWave& Bren Smith A New Green Wave to Fight Climate Change GreenWave, a sustainable undersea farming technology company founded by fisherman Bren Smith, has developed a breakthrough technology called vertical underwater farming or regenerative ocean farming.  The technique promises to be a new and prolific source of food and a new way to fight Climate Change.  It's comprised of vertical ropes that grow a variety of seaweed and shellfish.  As a fisherman, Smith has witnessed fishing stocks depleted and destroyed by Climate Change.  He is convinced that fishing has to be sustainable to save the industry.  His GreenWave model is designed to cleanly produce shellfish and seaweed, help restore ocean ecosystems, capture carbon and nitrogen from the waters and to support and sustain commercial farming.  The shellfish and seaweed provide food for consumers, fertili

Harnessing Ocean Energy As A Power Source Source:  DARPA Sustainable Energy The concept of underwater energy harvesting by drones is being developed by the US Defense Department's Advanced Research Agency DARPA.  This could not only revolutionize naval propulsion, particularly for drone submarines, by providing them a sustainable energy source.  But also, if the drones transport the harvested ocean energy to ships at sea, there would be far less need to return to port to refuel.  The time and energy efficiencies would be breakthrough. Manta Ray Project DARPA calls the program the Manta Ray Project.  It's goal is to develop unmanned underwater vehicles - drones - that can operate underwater for very long, extended periods of time, all the while harvesting the energy of the ocean as a power source.  Four companies have just been selected for the job.  Lockheed Martin, Northrup Grumman and Navtek LLC are working on the drones.  And Metron is developing underwater energy

New EV SUV from US:  All-Electric, Solar-Powered, Vegan Interior, Affordable Debuts at CES 2020 Fisker, the designer and manufacturer of electric vehicles and advanced mobility solutions headquartered in LA, is unveiling an all-electric, luxury SUV, the Fisker Ocean , at CES 2020 in Las Vegas this week. The vehicle is solar powered and has a full length solar panel on the roof.  Fisker is also partnering with Electrify America, which is the largest, open DC fast charging network in the US.  Electrify America will have 3500 chargers in 45 states by 2021. Ocean Affordable And Environmentally Correct The all electric SUV can deliver up to 300 miles of driving on a 30 minute charge. The company has priced it for affordability.  The SUV starts at $37,499 but with a US federal tax credit the price drops to $29,999. The two companies are working together to increase the range and reduce the charge time.  Fisker says the Ocean is a full prototype that's ready to go into productio

On World Ocean Day, a Rising Tide of Plastic Pollution Source:  Monterey Bay Awash in Plastic On World Ocean Day 2019 there is growing evidence that the global problem of ocean pollution from plastic waste is getting worse.  By latest estimates there are 5 trillion pieces of plastic waste in global oceans.  Every year another 8 million metric tons of plastic are dumped in the ocean.  Once pristine ocean areas from California to Spain are facing pollution problems.  For a detailed news blog, go to Important Innovations Collection: Global Oceans Awash in Plastic : World Ocean Day Source:  Monterey Bay Aqarium - Monterey Shoreline Once Pristine Locations from Monterey, CA to Spain's Basque C...

Huge, Industrial-Scale Wave Power Project Just Announced in Italy Source:  Wave Power Stock Image Renewable Energy from the Force of Waves Eni, the Italian oil and gas energy company, along with the power grid group Terna, shipbuilder Fincantieri and state lending agency CDP just announced their plans to launch a huge wave energy power project.  They call it industrial scale.  It's composed of wave power stations and they say the application is immediate.  For more on this breaking news, go to Important Innovations Collection: Italian Wave Power Renewable Energy : Industrial-Scale Renewable Energy Project off Italy Source:  Waves off coast of Italy New Wave Power Stations Italian oil and gas ...

New Wave, Ocean Energy Device Source:  Dielectric Elastomer Generator - University of Edinburg European Engineers Invent Successful Wave Device to Generate Electricity for Homes It's a simple, inexpensive wave device that generates clean, green electricity potentially for thousands of homes at first.  The brilliant device was invented and successfully tested by a group of European university engineers from Scotland and Italy.  It's called a Dielectric Elastomer Generator and is a vertical cylinder tied to ships that converts ocean wave energy to electricity.  For a great news blog on this latest innovation in renewable energy, go to Important Innovations Collection: New Wave Energy Power : Ocean Power to Generate Electricity Source:  Stock Image New, International Engineered Device An international team of engineers from...

Methane Hydrate in Ocean Floor Source:   US Dept. of Energy - Methane Hydrate Fuel  Ice Energy Innovation from Flammable Ice Japan has extracted an untapped fuel from the ocean floor.  It's methane hydrate.  It's called flammable ice.  Methane trapped in ice is buried in the waters around Japan.  In some cases, what looks like dirty ice leaks to the surface.  If you strike a match to it, it ignites.  It exists in many places including Alaska. Fiery Ice Big global research organizations, Japanese and global companies are racing to tap into this huge source of new energy - methane seabed ice for fuel.   They hope to start extracting it as a new energy source by the end of the next decade of 2020.  US and Japanese researchers are just starting new research on this. Big Challenge The challenge is to extract it from the seabed.  The methane incased in ice is so sensitive and delicate, it can't be dug and hauled up.  It breaks apart.  That's the challenge for in

Rising Acidification of the Oceans Dissolving Shells Source:  University of Tsukuba, Japan Climate Change's Relentless Pace Another startling sign of climate change.  The ocean is getting increasingly acidified.  To the point that in sea regions with high level of carbon dioxide the shells of sea snails are dissolving from it.  Marine biologists say shelled sea creatures are fighting for survival. International Research Marine scientists from the University of Tsukuba, Japan and University of Plymouth, UK studied the impact of rising carbon dioxide levels on shellfish.  They found those living off Japan with high levels of carbon dioxide are 1/3 the size of their counterparts.  They also found shell deterioration in terms of thickness, strength, density, structure and in some cases shells totally dissolved. Scientific Warning The UK and Japanese university scientists warn that if carbon dioxide emissions continue to rise unchecked, it poses a clear threat to marine