Photo: Universities of Trento, Bologna and Edinburgh, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna Pisa
A simple, low-cost energy generator could produce the equivalent of 500 kilowatts of electricity, which would power around 100 homes. Compared to conventional power generators, the new Scottish device is cheaper, made of more durable materials, and has fewer moving parts. 10,000 DEGs could provide electricity to millions of homes. The Dielectric Elastomer Generator (DEG) was designed to be integrated into existing ocean energy systems to convert wave power into electricity. It’s hoped that they will replace conventional wave power generators that are more complicated and expensive.