{"id":46,"date":"2014-02-04T09:45:05","date_gmt":"2014-02-04T14:45:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mypoolsigns.com/blog\/?p=46"},"modified":"2025-03-11T04:15:22","modified_gmt":"2025-03-11T08:15:22","slug":"waves-swimming-power-pool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mypoolsigns.com/blog\/waves-swimming-power-pool\/","title":{"rendered":"Could waves from swimming power your pool?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve ever swum a lap, you know how much work it takes to move your body through the water. Thank the laws of fluid dynamics<\/a> for that. But those same dynamics also make swimming a great exercise. Among the many benefits<\/a> of swimming is the fact that it is one of the few exercises that works all your muscles. Put simply, when you swim, you expend a lot of energy. That energy produces a lot of waves, so much so that competitive swimmers rely on special racing lane lines<\/a> to protect them from the waves of other swimmers.<\/p>\n

\"Swimmer<\/a>

A Wake Forest University researcher recently found that swimmers produce far more tidal energy than previously thought. From Bill Slattery Jr.<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

But what if that wave energy could be recaptured and used?<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the experiment<\/a> a researcher from Wake Forest University recently conducted resulting in an answer that could have repercussions for swimming facilities all over the world. Sophmore Yinger “Eagle” Jin built an oscillating water column that measures how much electricity can be produced from swimmers\u2019 waves. Air is forced out of the column as a wave rises and fresh air is drawn in as the wave falls.This movement drives a turbine that converts the wave energy into electricity.<\/p>\n

But it was the amount of energy this simple device produced that surprised even Jin. Just the energy of the waves from swimmers\u2019 laps was able to generate 10 kilowatt-hours of electricity. That\u2019s enough to power a pool room for an entire day!<\/p>\n

What does this say about the amount of energy expended during swimming? This is a question scientists and athletes have been pondering for some time as they attempt to unlock the secrets and mysteries of fluid dynamics to improve speed. The question revolves around two \u201cfundamental determinants\u201d of swimming speed: resistive forces from the water and propulsive forces swimmers generate. In pools those two forces produce waves.<\/p>\n

\"Tidal<\/a>

The principles behind Jin’s research are the same as behind this wave power generator in the UK. From DECCGovUK<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

Jin\u2019s experiment seems to be the first to show that those waves can produce valuable energy. But wave energy production has bigger implications worldwide. The same thing that happens in the pool happens at a much larger scale in the ocean. Many see wave power<\/a> as one of the most promising forms of alternative energy. So far there are only a handful of projects around the world.<\/p>\n

Jin hopes to calculate<\/a> how much energy is produced off the coast of North Carolina. But if it could be harnessed, total wave energy<\/a> around the continental shelf of the United States could produce enough energy to provide an estimated 247,000,000<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0U.S. homes with power annually.<\/p>\n

If Jin\u2019s most recent discovery bears out, it\u2019s exciting to think that wave energy could also start powering your local pool.<\/p>\n

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