Harvest time at Marlborough's mussel farms Photo: RNZ / Tracy Neal
Biofouling is the bane of any boaties' life, but could it be harnessed to extract energy from waves?
Researchers at Auckland University and NIWA are studying whether the organisms which quickly grow over any object in the ocean, could add to the drag going through a wave energy extractor, thereby creating more power.
What's more, they say the technology could complement existing ocean infrastructure such as mussel farms. Craig Stevens is Associate Professor at the University of Auckland, and the Principal Scientist for Marine Physics at NIWA explains.
