KING ISLAND UNIWAVE200

There's a large cement structure off the coast of King Island in Tasmania, Australia, that looks like some kind of futuristic sound-weapon. 

But have no fear, it's merely the latest in wave energy technology. Called the UniWave200 and made by Wave Swell Energy, this "artificial blowhole" is a fresh take on a classic wave energy converter known as an oscillating water column.

As incoming waves flow into the chamber, air is compressed, which spins a turbine. But while most OWCs are bidirectional, meaning the turbine spins as air is pushed out by the rising waves and when air is sucked back in by the receding waves, the UniWave200 is a little different.

According to Wave Swell Energy Co-Founder and Executive Chair Tom Denniss, scale model tests actually showed a unidirectional turbine was more efficient than previous bidirectional turbines. The increased efficiency of a unidirectional turbine might help the UniWave200 achieve its goal of making wave energy into a mainstream renewable like wind and solar.

Denniss said the UniWave200 also has advantages over previous wave technologies in terms of accessibility and durability. Because the UniWave200 has no moving parts below the surface of the water, damage from the pounding of the waves is less likely and repair teams will have an easier time making fixes - link