University of North Florida Athletics issued the following announcement on Sept. 10.
Don Resio, professor emeritus and director of the Taylor Engineering Research Institute, along with Michelle Viera, UNF alumna, were recently featured in the September edition of Florida Trend Magazine for their entrepreneurial efforts in creating Sea’s the Future, a renewable tidal energy system.
As the senior technologist for the Army Corps of Engineers Costal and Hydraulics Laboratory, Resio spent 16 years working with a bridging system that utilized bladders to gain access to hard to reach coastal and river areas in emergency situations. Inspired by this system, Resio worked with Michelle Viera, then graduate student in the coastal engineering program, to adapt the concept for power generation into a renewable tidal energy system.
Using a closed circulation between onshore and offshore bladders combined with a specially designed nozzle system that accelerates the flow through the turbine, the system generates electricity by harnessing the power from waves and tides. With no harm to the environment, including fish, mammals and other marine species being passed through spinning generators, and near zero or no biofouling, this underwater power-generation system is scalable to meet the power needs of small communities to large cities, even in areas with relatively small tide ranges.
Resio and his team have already secured a patent for this system and are working towards a large-scale project demonstration.
Read the full story in the September 2021 edition of Florida Trend magazine.
Original source can be found here.
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