Ecotricity invest in 'lowest cost renewable energy technology'

On Monday it was announced that local green energy company Ecotricity had acquired an aquatic bicycle pump. The Searaser device pumps saltwater to an onshore generator by using the rise and fall of a large float to pressurise water - but the great thing is that it doesn't need to be in the hostile environment of the ocean which adds all sorts of costs.

Ecotricity's Dale Vince, said: "We believe Searaser has the potential to produce electricity at a lower cost than any other type energy, not just other forms of renewable energy but all "conventional" forms of energy too." He says "it is not over-ambitious" to expect 200 of the 18 metre-deep Searaser devices to be installed around the UK within five years, generating enough renewable electricity to power 236,000 homes. See Guardian article with 20 second film on how it works here - and here an article some 18 months ago in The Engineer.