Santo Domingo.- A project by UNPHU University and the Venezuelan company Nova Oceanic Energy Systems is among the 26 winners of the Global Competition on Climate Adaptation, in the World Development Fair 2009, in which 1,700 worldwide proposals competed.

Moisés Alvarez, the initiative’s coordinator and UNPHU Science Faculty dean said the project presented in Washington is the “Introduction to Energy Converter of Wave Technology (Wave) to Control Beach Erosion and Mitigate the effect of storms or hurricanes (Olas)," with a US$299,215 funding by the World Bank and other organizations.

The project consists of placing a floater (conceived by the company Nova Oceanic, of the Venezuelan Alvaro Atilano) which extracts kinetic energy from waves to then convert to electricity. "This project’s advantage is that besides producing electrical energy it would play the role of a jetty, reducing coastal erosion and it collateral damage.”

In the proposal the designers suggested the community Paraiso, Barahona province (southwest), for a possible pilot project.

And although Alvarez admits more studies are needed, he’s confident the pilot project would begin early next year, since a series of proceedings with the sponsors need to be concluded.

Happy scientists  

Once news of the prize spread, UNPHU celebrated the event. "It places our university’s name up high," Alvarez said, noting that research is the universities’ role, adding that it currently conducts several environment projects.