How it Works
To get a basic idea of the working principle of the gravity ram, imagine a ship going up and down on the tide. Then imagine a piston attached to the bottom of the ship. The piston is then located in a large cylinder on the sea bed. As the piston travels up and down on the tides it pumps water in and out of the cylinder. The water enters and exits through a narrow aperture at the bottom of the cylinder and is forced through a pipe. The outlet/inlet of this pipe drives a turbine which generates power cyclically as the tides pump it up and down (as the ship rises and falls).

In constructing the gravity ram I use a large float structure instead of a ship because it's easier to support on the piston, more stable and stronger. I enclose the whole structure in a shroud which forms the flotation chamber of the piston and gives it yet more stability. I anchor the entire unit to the sea bed by placing it in a cone which can be constructed of stabilised rocks, and I provide for maintenance access through the shroud by placing a hatch in the top of the piston.