Abstract
The possibility of exploiting sea and tidal currents for power generation has given little attention in Mediterranean countries despite the fact that these currents representing a large renewable energy resource could be exploited by “modern old technologies” to provide important levels of electric power. It is also well known that one of the oldest machines still in use is the Archimedes screw, a device for lifting water for irrigation and drainage, invention credited to Archimedes. The main aim of this paper is to present a new small hydro philosophy of recovering the unexploited coastal and tidal hydraulic potential by following an efficient “Archimedean philosophy” and by using modern horizontal-axis unconventional cochlear turbines. Our work proposes “the presence of Archimedes in Cephalonia and in Euripus Strait” and the optimal “Archimedean” exploitation of the Euripus tidal current and of the Cephalonia coastal paradox cross flowing continuously from Livadi Gulf to the Gulf of Sami. The present paper intends to prove the useful modern rediscovering of some old Archimedean ideas concerning spiral water wheel technologies under the form of new and efficient horizontal-axis Archimedean hydropower turbines.