Dr Wang Zhonglin, of Beijing Institute of Nanotechnology, is exploring ocean waves to generate electricity. The concept is not new but has failed to gain traction due to the hostile environment of the sea (devastating storms) and seawater’s corrosive nature. To address these challenges, Dr. Zhonglin is applying a fresh approach, triboelectricity, which immerses a paddle in the water from a floating devise which contains generator cogs. As the waves (big or small) move the paddles, the generator cogs rotate to harvest energy.
