Movable seawall for tsunami protection is self-powered and generates electricity

Japan, with over 2,780 fishing ports and 993 commercial and industrial ports, faces the challenge of safeguarding these coastal assets from tsunamis.

Researchers said that a solution lies in the form of a movable barrier system, where gates rising from the seafloor act as barriers protecting ports against tsunamis, storm surges and high waves. However, during natural disasters, power outages may disrupt the electricity needed to operate the gate.

The proposed system consists of gates placed at the port entrance designed to close during periods of port inactivity. When raised, the differences in water levels between the inside and outside of the port are used to generate electricity, which then can be stored and utilised for subsequent gate operations.

In a statement, Professor Takagi said: “To our knowledge, there is no system in the world yet that uses movable seawalls to generate electricity and then uses that electricity to operate the system itself. In this sense, SMS is a completely new concept.”