With all that ocean out there, I find it hard to believe that wave power will not be a serious competitor in the green energy space race. A lot of approaches have been tried, but one of the simplest might hold the key to affordable sea-lectricity.

Called Anaconda, the new system is essentially a long rubber tube anchored below water level and directed fang-first into oncoming waves. With the turbine attached to the back, it looks a little like an old-school vacuum cleaner.

The principle used, known as a bulge wave, is unique to ocean generation. A wave creates a pressure bubble in the tube, which then rides the outside wave into the backend turbine. Developed by Checkmate Seaenergy, Anaconda may be capable of producing electricity at less than 12 cents per kilowatt hour, possibly outbidding other wave-based systems. Power output would be around 1 MW per reptile.

Tests so far have been only been done on the garter-snake scale in the lab. Further tests will be needed to see if the device can be scaled. Full-size versions would measure 650 feet long and 23 feet in diameter.

Anaconda's biggest selling point may be its simple structure and cheap materials, which will shed maintenance costs. Its backers hope to have their product slithering around the UK coastline within 5 years.

Unfortunately, my mental association with the word 'anaconda' is permanently damaged by the awful big-snake movie of the same name starring Jennifer Lopez and Ice Cube. I'd rather watch Checkmate's version (wmv).