Big wave in renewable energy

KUALA LUMPUR: Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) has unveiled the country's first wave electricity generator, that harnesses the power of ocean waves to generate cheap and renewable energy.
Students from the Faculty of Ocean Engineering at UMT were inspired by the Powerbuoy and Islay Limpet generators made in the United States and Scotland respectively, when they invented the "UMT Evo" wave power generator.
Faculty associate professor Dr Mohd Zamri Ibrahim said the generator has a lot of potential due to the high volume of waves in our country's coastline.
He said the purpose of the study was to create (an option) for renewable energy, adding that his team also experimented with other forms of power generation such as solar and wind but the most viable option was the wave generator.
Mohd Zamri added that the wave generator could slash electricity costs to as low as RM1,000 for 10kW of energy, which usually costs up to RM100,000.
The project, which took more than two years to complete, was funded by the prototype and development grant scheme under the Education Ministry.
UMT began testing the generator in February at several locations in Terengganu and have won several local and international awards at various expos this year.