A small Australian company called BioPower experiments tidal power and wave power technologies in Bass Strait using "biomimicry" based design principles.
The project has 2 prototype units being deployed-the wave power system will be off King Island and the tidal power one off Flinders Island. Each unit can produce up to 250 kilowatts. The $10.3 million system is half funded by the Australian Government and the electricity generated will be used by Hydro Tasmania.
The field of biomimicry is a new one that has gathered increasing amount of attention in recent years, with advocates promoting these types of designs as being efficient way to harness natural resources and to use them in a sustainable way.
BioPower Systems' wave power device (Biowave) mimics the swaying motion of the sea plants found in the ocean floor. The system consists of three floating blades which are constantly osciallated by the motion of the sea, generating electricity as they do so. The flexibility of the blades enables them to deal with heavy seas without breaking, unlike more rigid designs.
BioPower's tidal power system (Biostream) is based on highly efficient propulsion of "thunniform" swimming species, such as sharks, tuna, and mackerel. The device mimics the shape and motion characteristics of these species, as a fixed device in a moving stream of water. Due to the single point of rotation, this device can align with the flow in any direction.
Biomimicry ( from bios, meaning life, and mimesis, meaning to imitate) is a relatively new science that studies the designs nature that has evolved through millions of years of trial and error and then imitates these to solve human problems in a sustainable way. The idea is that nature has already solved many of the problems we are grappling with. Nature has found what works and appropriate, and most importantly, what lasts here on Earth. After 3.8 billion years of research and development, failures are fossils and what surrounds us is the secret to survival. The conscious emulation of life' genius is a survival strategy for the human race, a path to a sustainable future. The more our world looks and functions like the natural world, the more likely we are to endure on this home that is ours, but not ours alone.
The term "biomimicry" was introduced by science writer Janine Benyus in her book "Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by nature". The most frequently cited example of biomimicry is Velcro, which was inspired by the way burrs stick to fur. Janine Benyus is also a president of the Biomimicry Institute which is a non-profit organization. The Biomimicry Institute's mission it to nurture and grow a global community of people who are learning from, emulating, and conserving life's genius to create a healthier, more sustainable planet. Benyus argues that biomimicry differs from other bio-approaches such as bio-utilization and other bio-assisted technologies. Biomimicry introduces an era based not on what we can extract from organisms and their ecosystems, but on what we can learn from them. Bio-utilization entails harvesting product or producer such as cutting wood for floors and bio assisted technologies involve domesticating an organism to accomplish a function, e.g., bacterial purification of water. However, instead of harvesting, biomimics consult organisms; they are inpired by an idea, be it a physical blueprint, a process step in a chemical reaction, or an ecosystem principle such as nutrient cycling. Borrowing an idea is like copying a picture-the original image can remain to inspire others.
The term "biomimicry" was introduced by science writer Janine Benyus in her book "Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by nature". The most frequently cited example of biomimicry is Velcro, which was inspired by the way burrs stick to fur. Janine Benyus is also a president of the Biomimicry Institute which is a non-profit organization. The Biomimicry Institute's mission it to nurture and grow a global community of people who are learning from, emulating, and conserving life's genius to create a healthier, more sustainable planet. Benyus argues that biomimicry differs from other bio-approaches such as bio-utilization and other bio-assisted technologies. Biomimicry introduces an era based not on what we can extract from organisms and their ecosystems, but on what we can learn from them. Bio-utilization entails harvesting product or producer such as cutting wood for floors and bio assisted technologies involve domesticating an organism to accomplish a function, e.g., bacterial purification of water. However, instead of harvesting, biomimics consult organisms; they are inpired by an idea, be it a physical blueprint, a process step in a chemical reaction, or an ecosystem principle such as nutrient cycling. Borrowing an idea is like copying a picture-the original image can remain to inspire others.
Here's a talk by Kenny Ausubel, Bioneers Founder & Co-Executive Director and Jay Harman, Pax Scientific CEO. (This movie clip contains a very beautiful visual illustrations of nature and it's common shape that's underlying the nature's chaos.)
How would nature do it?In 3.8 billion years, life has learned some amazing things: to fly, to live at the top of the mountain and bottom of the ocean, to light up the night, and to make miraculous materials such as skin, hair, horns, and brains. In fact organisms have done everything that we human want to do without guzzling the fossil fuels and polluting the planet or mortgaging our future. We are part of the nature but we are very young species. We can solve problems that we face by asking a disarmingly simple question: "How would nature do it?"
The level of green house gases in the atmosphere has already exceeded levels not expected for another decade. Much of the damage we are causing to our Earth and most of the greatly accelerated global warming is a result of our fuel use and understanding of energy. From the nature's point of view, there is no shortage of energy. if we study and copy nature's strategies for using energy, we can convert the world's escalating energy crisis. We can reduce the tremendous amount of energy in the industry by application of biomimicry.
And here's Jenine Benyus talk at TED
We used to think that the Sun rotated around the Earth, and that the world was flat. What other great truths are we still missing?
No comments:
Post a Comment