Mini-robots can collect microplastics in the sea.
And, according to a Munich-based startup, in future small hydrokinetic underwater power plants will generate electricity using a river’s flow rate to drive their internal turbine.
The devices are anchored to the river floor by rope, and are designed to present no threat to fish or divers.
A connected system continuously monitors the mini-plants’ performance; if the river floods or freezes over, they automatically sink safely to the ground.
Each unit should be able to supply 15 megawatt hours annually, enough to power four households and save on some 230 tons of CO2.
Other firms are using waves to generate electricity hydraulically; twisting mini-generators, meanwhile, make use of small underwater movements.
