Wringing watts from waves: a high schooler's invention turns water motion into "juice"

Generating electricity from wave power is an old idea that gained new life when the quest for alternative energy sources began in the 1970s. This paper describes how the 17-year-old, Aaron Goldin, found an elegant way to do the job with a buoy, a gyroscope, and a generator. Goldin invented the "autonomous gyroscopic ocean-wave-powered generator", cobbled together from parts scavenged from an old tape recorder and other household appliances. Unlike several other wave-power devices now being tested, Goldin's invention requires no hydraulics or other intermediate systems to transfer power to the generator.