Two technologies that generate electricity from the ocean are going through final testing at the Australian Maritime College in Launceston this week.

Sydney company BioPower Systems has created two designs for ocean power conversion - one which harnesses energy from currents, the other from waves.

Both models are more than 20 metres tall, sit just below the ocean surface and are designed to move and respond in a similar way to plants and fish.

Smaller scale models are being tested in the AMC towing tank this week and prototypes will be installed off King and Flinders Islands later this year.

Dr Tim Finnigan from BioPower Systems says the technology would benefit the environment.

"These are clean power generators so they tap inexhaustible renewable energy from the ocean which is a massive energy resources which is relatively untapped and deliver power straight into communities," he said.

"So it really is a method of offsetting greenhouse gas and other polluting energy sources."

"These devices each are designed to produce in the order of half a megawatt and the idea is that you would deploy them in multiples like you would a windfarm but under the ocean surface and then you could build the capacity up to 100 megawatts to deliver a base load level power to communities."

Source: abc.net.au 

---