Here is a video of my great friend Marion who sadly passed away in April 2010, one year ago. For those who do not speak French, she is explaining her work on a project on ‘La Réunion’, an island in French Polynesia. This is not a direct translation and my French is somewhat rusty, but for those who speak conversational French it is a quite clearly spoken in the video so you may be able to pick up the gist.
Essentially, the project (one of only two in the world, the other in Hawaii, and currently a prototype) is looking at harnessing the energy of the sea to produce electricity and is dubbed ‘evolutionary’ and the most spectacular energy solution in this century. The island of La Réunion is in a tropical zone and the temperature difference between the surface of the water and at 1000 metres deep is around 20 degrees. This temperature difference acts to induce a circular motion due to the currents created between the warmer and cooler water. Large balloons (seven metres diameter) float in rows under the surface and move with these currents. They are each connected to a pump and the pump motion induced by the balloon’s movement can create electricity. They are currently testing the efficiency of the balloons at various distances out to sea (3-15km), to understand which location would make for more efficient electricity production.
The technology is Australian and a similar project using a ‘serpent’ floating in the water has been used in Portugal. La Réunion is aiming to produce all of its electricity through renewable by 2030 and also all of its transportation by 2050 so is an ideal location for such a project. With further development and financing, the La Réunion project could serve as a model for many other projects like this around the world.
A 23-year-old Breton and a specialist in marine energy, Marion invested a lot personally in the project and had accomplished a lot through her passion for the environment.
A message from me:
Encore eco-chic extraordinaire, Marion tu resteras dans mon coeur et mes mémoires pour toujours. Tes yeux verts me manques! Je n’oublierai jamais toi et je continuerai à soutenir l’environnement pout toi. Grosses bisous à toute ta famille...Bisous sweety xxx
A message from her family:
Une année que notre belle Marionnette a fermé ses yeux sur la plage d’Étang Salé, une année qu’elle nous accompagne au quotidien, chaque minute, au creux du cœur ; une année qu’elle est partie de la Pointe de la Torche, du bout de sa Bretagne, sa région de naissance et de cœur, et qu’elle a déjà suivi un bout de chemin dans son tour monde au gré des courants. Nous aimerions qu’en cette journée, des fleurs que vous aurez cueillies dans la nature, dans votre jardin, l’accompagnent sur son chemin. Jetées dans la mer, l’océan, un fleuve, une rivière, où que vous soyez dans le monde, ce petit geste lui montrera que toute l’énergie qu’elle a passé à tisser des liens de par le monde ne s’est pas perdue. C’est sans doute le plus bel hommage que l’on peut lui rendre.
Pascale Gérard Maëlle Robin
