A team of scientists from Belize have successfully harvested electricity from squid. The invertebrates have been discharging enough bioelectricity to run the lighting and air-conditioning units at the research centre on Glover’s Reef Caye on the Caribbean coast.
The team lead by Dr Dino Vanidici have published their findings in the Journal of Invertebrate Science and believe it could herald a breakthrough in sustainable energy. The researchers used the Belize Rainbow Squid (pictured) which discharges an electric shock equivalent to 202V but has been known to produce up to 380V, they then collected the discharge onto a conductor placed in the pen and used it to charge a capacitor which was connected to a large set of batteries.
Dr Vanidici told ELN: “The squid are kept in pens in the sea and we have about 200 per pen. We have put a small underwater microphone in the sea that sends a signal at a certain frequency that makes the squid discharge their shock onto the conductor. It doesn’t harm the squid and they can keep discharging up to 30 times an hour on average they produce 5A of current.”
“It’s small scale but and we are producing on average 20kW of power per hour and that’s with considerable wastage in the converting process. We’ve used it to power our research facilities and are now trialling the system for a few homes in the nearby village, we believe for small rural fishing communities across Belize and the wider Caribbean this could be a great source of sustainable energy.”
The Rainbow Squid is plentiful in the seas around Belize and has been found across the western Caribbean coastal waters of Mexico, Honduras and as far east as Cuba and the Caymans. If the trials in Belize are successful the project could be duplicated across the region.
Dr Vanidici insisted the squid were not being harmed by constantly discharging their electric shocks: “They use their shocks all the time in nature to navigate and capture prey and even to attract a mate, as they discharge they often change colour hence their name. Animal rights people can say it’s cruel but it’s just like a dog barking, the squid do this anyway all the time we are just harnessing mother nature’s gift. Besides they don’t taste good so they are not caught for food here and we have plenty of them that can be used by the fishermen as a source of income.”
But critics still say it’s a dubious practice. Sheila Granoche of the Belize Aquatic Large Lagoon Society said there was a danger of exploitation: “The Rainbow Squid has its place in the ecosystem and if there is more and more harvesting of them for power it could upset the balance of the seas. I’m all for renewable power but we must not destroy the seas to get it.”
April 2nd, 2012 at 10:52 am
Wendy whatever do you mean????
Report comment Report commentApril 2nd, 2012 at 5:10 pm
Sustainable energy… not so much. The squids, which are apparently not recognized as the “Belize Rainbow Squid” because no information can be found on the squid under such name, would have to be constantly farmed.
I would have to go with the animal rights groups on this on as there is not any proof given by Dr. Vanidici that this process does not in fact harm the squids, other than the presumption given by him which states “They use their shocks all the time in nature to navigate and capture prey and even to attract a mate, as they discharge they often change colour hence their name.” One could not possibly have enough evidence yet to accurately give such a comment as this method is supposed to be relatively new.
“The squid are kept in pens in the sea and we have about 200 per pen.” No information is given on the size of the pens and on the size of the squid itself. How is it that the squids “discharge their shock onto the conductor”? This implies that either the pens are relatively small in order for most squids to be close to the conductor or the squids are induced by the “microphone signals” to attack the conductor “up to 30 times an hour”. How is it that these conditions are being pointed out as “harmless” to the squids up to the point at which the discharges the squids give are compared to the barks of a dog? Even if such comparison does hold true, this means we can compare the barks of a dog to the screams a person makes. Let’s put 200 persons in a small pen and make them shout none stop and tell me if this is not cruel. It would not only cause mental disorders but also problems with the vocal cords that create the sounds. The same can be said about the squids. Induce a squid to do that which it is supposed to do naturally over and over again, and if that were not enough lets place another 199 around that one that are doing the same none stop.
Lastly I just want to say that after all the years of my life living in Belize I have been able to observe the constant invasion of natural habitat being done here in Belize, not only of its forests and its flora and fauna, but of the coral reef and its ocean. Our barrier reef is not the same as it was 10 years ago, not to mention 20 years ago; and yet somehow those who are supposed to be in charge of looking out for these things somehow don’t seem to spot it. Thus we continue to contaminate the environment and not only invade animals natural habitats, but utterly destroy them as well.
Report comment Report commentApril 2nd, 2012 at 5:12 pm
This is animal cruelty without a doubt! you guys don’t even know for sure if these animals use the electricity for those specific reasons.. ” like a dog barking” that’s the dumbest example ive ever heard… you don’t mention any proof as to why they aren’t being harmed.. they certainly are being harassed, its probably their method of defence so you are working them to death..I would also like to know HOW LARGE with which you contain the 200 squid are? you can say they are in their natural habitat but having them enclosed and forced to produce current is nothing close to that, these animals haven’t even been fully studied, there is no sustainable information anywhere about this animal and you are already taking advantage of the obvious.
Report comment Report commentApril 3rd, 2012 at 12:25 pm
Harvesting electricity from salt water rainbow squid seems potentially dangerous as electrolysis of water can produce hydrogen and oxygen in gaseous form, both of which are explosive gasses. A particularly vigourous 380v squid might provide a spark which ignites the gas. If instead we could safely collect and ignite the hydrogen on the sea above the pens we could capture the heat for local use. With some development maybe we could have a domestic fish tank that was both decorative and provided light, power, and heat for the home; squid powered CHP (= SquiCHP).
However I think Sheila Granoche of the Belize Aquatic Large Lagoon Society (BALLS) put it well when she said it is a dubious practice and there is a danger of exploitation of all manner of innocent creatures and also natural resources.
Report comment Report commentApril 3rd, 2012 at 12:33 pm
Dear Rob you are clearly a man of science I shall pass your comments onto the representative of BALLS immediately!
Report comment Report commentNovember 13th, 2012 at 3:09 pm
I understand that raibbow squids provide electrical shocks but we are not sure that this will not harm their behaviour.
I think that we must be careful using this capacity.
Best wishes
Teresa Pontes
Report comment Report commentNovember 22nd, 2012 at 9:46 am
So only one person picked up this was a joke right? And 7 months later people are still getting upset?
Report comment Report commentDecember 10th, 2012 at 9:42 am
Oh dear.
“20kW of power per hour”
That’ll be 20kW then.