The oceanic tides are beautiful from a distance but scary from up front. And since it is a very strong and powerful medium, why not put better use to it than surfing. That is probably what NASA scientists thought when they found a way to turn the power of the ocean's tides into clean, renewable electric energy. They are doing a project to ‘use changes in ocean temperature to create a high-pressure fluid that can be used to generate power’. NASA engineers are busy designing a system for the same. According to Yi Chao, a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, "The trick was to find a special substance known as a phase-change material that changes from a solid to a liquid as the temperature in the environment changes from cold to warm. When the material melts, it expands, compressing a central tube in which another liquid is stored. This liquid, now under high pressure, is used to generate electricity."

This comes at a time when people fear the global warming will see the end of human race as there was a news recently that the Amazon may fall with the increase in global warming. NASA is meant to make changes and lets hope this one will indeed benefit us.

[ComputerWorld]