https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170922094047.htm
Sustainability is all about conserving and maintaining, right? Well, what better way to promote sustainability than a turbine that will not only generate energy but protect the coasts? Professor Tsumoru Shintake at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University proposed a turbine. This turbine is an ocean energy source that is both affordable and easy to maintain. Thirty percent of the seashore in mainland Japan is covered with tetrapods. A tetrapod is a concrete structure that is placed along the coastline to weaken the force of any incoming waves in order to protect the shore from erosion. This turbines would replace the tetrapods and wave breakers by being attached or placed near them, helping to protect the coast. Professor Shintake states, “”Using just 1% of the seashore of mainland Japan can [generate] about 10 gigawats [of energy], which is equivalent to 10 nuclear power plants.” This project is a great example of sustainability as it is cheaper and more affordable as well as easier to maintain. It also protects the coast from erosion which helps the environment and all living creatures in it.
