Could HydroPower be the Answer to Sustainable Energy?
In today’s world, one might become hopeless when witnessing the landscape of unprecedented climate crises. Many of us are asking, what can be done to curb carbon emissions before it is too late for the equilibrium of this planet?
We spoke with two visionaries who are leading the charge for a hydropower based transition in infrastructure that could vastly change the way we use energy. Kenneth W. Welch Jr., inventor and President and C.E.O. of Global Oceanic Designs and their affiliated company Seadog Systems Inc., and Georg Engelmann, engineer and C.E.O. and President at Diamond Infrastructure Development, Inc. have recently joined forces in a dynamic partnership that could change the energy economy as we know it.
Both Mr. Welch Jr. and Mr. Engelmann have based their careers in hydropower and a fascination with the vastly untapped potential of the sea. Mr. Welch Jr. has invented a suite of hundreds of technologies that range from cutting edge renewable wave energy conversion systems, to onshore and offshore infrastructure and transportation systems. Mr. Engelmann spent most of his career as a subsea engineer for Shell, with more than twenty five years of offshore energy development experience.
Together, they share the goal of creating a “new basis of energy, driven by the thrust of the Blue Economy.” What makes their hydropower systems more sustainable than wind or solar energy systems? As Mr. Engelmann explains it, “take a wind turbine for example. Considering the materials that are used in the manufacturing and installation process, then to operate and maintain it and go through the whole cycle of that system, the turbine will never create enough energy to justify itself. Let alone be a sufficient performer in terms of efficiency to ever display the demand for electrical power from the grid that it was meant to do, or decompose in a sustainable way.” What differentiates Mr. Welch Jr.’s suite of technologies is that their approach is actually sustainable, meaning that they “will have actually utilized more carbon out of the environment for the purpose of energy creation, then we would have incurred in terms of carbon debt to create that system in the first place.”
Wave energy is one of the most durable, impactful, and consistent forms of energy available on this planet, and its use is largely untapped by humans. In fact, 1,500 times more investment dollars are spent exploring outer space than exploring the ocean and its capabilities.
Diamond Infrastructure Development, Inc.’s energy technology suite provides a truly clean, recyclable, cold, grid-scale wave energy driven hydropower system that works on the same order of economic and fiscal efficiency as hydroelectric dams, without the dam, the numerous environmental impacts of dams, or the disastrous consequences caused by large-scale dam failure. The future of Diamond Infrastructure Development, Inc. is to see the deployment and use of these concepts and products brought into the functioning reality of today’s energy industry.
Mr. Welch Jr. and Mr. Engelmann are aware that for this transition to take place, their first priority should be ensuring the basic needs of water and energy to people who lack access. They have a system that can convert sea water into fresh water, and can actually be energized to deliver that water to the places where it is needed, to re-energize communities who experience drought.
Once these foundations are set into place, the opportunities for hydropower are vast and exhilarating. Some of these prospects include undersea suspended research laboratories and underwater domes, vehicles, transportation systems, further development of subsea industries such as mining, energy development, subsea tourism and resorts, and even residential floating cities on the sea. These are industries that will revitalize entire economies and living ecosystems.
Mr. Welch Jr. believes that it is our responsibility to guarantee that this world’s lands and its waters along with all of their opportunities and beauty will be available for generations to come. We look forward to seeing these technologies brought into the market in this crucial historical moment, as they could be a part of the saving grace for sustainability on this planet.
For more information, visit https://diamondinfrastructuredevelopment.com/
