Whale Flippers Inspire Efficient Ocean Turbines

From Fast Company:

Biomimicry has given us everything from electronics displays to Velcro. Now we can thank nature for weaning us off unsustainable energy sources. Researchers from the United States Naval Academy have figured out that whale flippers can solve one of the most vexing problems associated with underwater tidal flow turbines. Underwater turbines convert energy from the ocean's tidal flow into electricity, but researchers in the past have had trouble grabbing useful energy from low-speed tidal flows. By adding humpback whale flipper-inspired tubercles (bumps) to the leading edge of each turbine blade, Naval Academy researchers found that they were able to extract more energy from low-speed waves--without hurting performance when waves rushed in at high speeds. According to Science Daily, the research could lead to new underwater turbine designs.

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