ILLOWA farmer-turned-inventor Rob Rowley reckons he has the solution to Port Fairy’s and Warrnambool’s beach erosion problems in the shape of a pyramid.
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For years the self-taught engineer has been dabbling with designs to harness ocean energy.
Now he believes the time has come to put his theories into practice.
He has built 30 prototypes about a metre tall which he says can be positioned to deflect wave energy, generate electricity and produce calm lagoons for aquaculture.
Larger pyramids could be built for full-scale use if the prototypes were successful.
“I’ve invented a way of taking energy from the waves which could be used to generate electricity,” he said.
“This end of the Victorian coastline has the greatest wave energy in the world and storm surges are increasing.
“Now that Port Fairy’s erosion is becoming such a big problem it’s time to consider my invention.
“The money gained from generating electricity would pay for installation of the equipment.”
He’s also working on a method of deflecting the direction of sand siltation into Warrnambool’s Lady Bay.
“If you make the curve right, sand would be sucked from the boat harbour out to the other side of the breakwater — it’s just copying nature,” Mr Rowley said.