Coastline erosion can be curbed by CCell’s solution that accelerates the growth of protective coral reefs
Vicor, the leader in high‑performance power modules, today explores a new technology that naturally deters coastal erosion on the Powering Innovation podcast. The latest episode examines the challenges facing coastal environments and communities when it comes to the devastations caused by erosion caused by waves and how CCell Renewables, this month’s guest, can combat this by propagating coral reefs.
CCell Renewables, which won the 2022 Power System Product of the Year award, has a mission to reduce the impact of erosion by working with nature to restore a sustainable balance to coastal environments and bring lasting protection to communities around the world.
Robert Gendron, Corporate Vice President, Product Development for Vicor, invites Dr. Will Bateman, CEO from CCell Renewables, to discuss their newest advancements, such as using AI, to not only monitor reef health, but also to identify new species within these ecosystems. With everything Ccell does Bateman emphasizes the importance of building new reefs in harmony with nature, enhancing habitats.
The CCell reef-growing system is based on the electrolysis of seawater to deposit calcium carbonate (limestone) on large steel frames which function as anodes and cathodes (electrodes) and gives the new reef its early structure. Vicor Factorized Power Architecture is used to convert a widely varying wave energy input voltage range which must be tightly regulated within a ‘goldilocks zone’ of 1.2V and 4V. This is needed to drive a precisely calculated current through the seawater. By factorizing the DC-DC function into two modules, a PRM regulator and a VTM current multiplier, the power delivery network can be optimized for regulation and conversion.
“This is another fascinating episode of our Powering Innovation podcast,” said Gendron. “We discuss technology in a very niche area, but which is so important with the ever-growing climate change challenges. For what Will is trying to achieve Vicor’s Factorized Power Architecture is really an ideal solution to deliver the precise conditions for growing coral. The CCell technology is brilliant and is truly world-changing. We are happy to be able to partner with them in this important work.”
Vicor’s Powering Innovation podcast is available with new episodes released monthly. Listeners can expect to learn about new ideas in electrification, power challenges, creative power architectures, as well as supply chain issues, real-life challenges and more.
The Powering Innovation podcast is available to download from all major podcast providers, including Sportify, Apple Music, Google Podcasts, and more.
