The Ryans have always been environmentally aware and they wanted to produce low cost renewable energy that also gave back to the community. In the case of Bombora Wave Power, it places an artificial reef to the ocean, providing a home to marine life and creating the opportunity for people to take part in leisure activities on and around the Bombora Wave Power. The company is planning to be a powerful player in the renewable energy market, a market that Shawn says is projected to be worth in the order of $50 billion per annum between 2020 and 2050.
Maintaining our crucial need for energy
Shawn Ryan is well-travelled, having been to over 60 countries and having explored ancient sites in Egypt (Pyramids of Giza), Italy (Pompeii) and Peru (Incas). Shawn found common threads throughout his travels, “There are three real needs in society _food, water and shelter _the rest is material.” Shawn saw that these ancient cultures didn’t live too differently to how we live today. “The big difference is energy. Energy underlies everything we do today, so, along with the three basic needs, energy is now critical to the functioning of the modern world.” Shawn adds, “I think there will be a huge number of developments in the energy space in coming years.”
As the renewable energy sector grows, innovators are becoming more aware of how our actions impact the planet. The need for energy has meant that infrastructure has been built and fuels are being sourced and utilised to create this necessary power. As well as using renewable resources to create energy, designers are also becoming increasingly aware of sustainability in design. Shawn began working as an engineer in 2000 and says, “It felt like in those days it was all based on price and getting the job done”.
Bombora is very aware of sustainability in design and they are committed to creating products that are ecologically sound in terms of their function, the materials selection and the longevity of components, and they use components that are recyclable wherever possible. Shawn feels there has been a shift in the thinking in design and engineering. “These days sustainability has certainly crept into the design methodology and it’s something we carefully consider at Bombora.”
The solution
Shawn Ryan describes Bombora as an air bubble anchored underwater and says it’s similar to a series of giant foot pumps. As a wave peak goes over the large submerged bubble, the air is exhaled out through a series of valves and past an air turbine which spins, generating electricity. The air stays within Bombora’s system and as the wave trough passes over it, air is inhaled back into the cell, allowing the cycle to be repeated. The electricity to be produced by Bombora in a real _ life application will be transmitted to shore through an electric cable and connected to the electrical grid.