Wave Power Wins Siemens Westinghouse Competition

Aaron Goldin, a 17-year-old high-school student from San Diego County, California, has won the individual category of the Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Mathematics, Science, and Technology. Goldin invented a device that generates electricity from ocean waves. “I was playing with a gyroscope when I felt the familiar torque on my wrist … and eventually I realized I could build a wave-powered generator from it,” he says. A prototype, built in his garage, is about 20% efficient in energy conversion, roughly half that of a power station. Goldin hopes that with further refinements, the energy efficiency could be more than doubled.

The main advantage of Goldin’s invention over other deep-sea wave-powered generators is that it directly converts the periodic torque of the ocean against the floating device into electrical energy. Other generators require a secondary step. All the moving parts are encased inside a protective shell away from saltwater, which in turn reduces corrosion and hence the maintenance costs of the device.

Goldin’s award consists of a $100 000 scholarship to be used toward tuition costs when he starts college later this year. “I hope to continue my studies in physics and engineering,” he says, “but at the same time I want to take this opportunity to study some other fields and activities.”