14-Year-Old From Florida Creates an Ocean Energy Probe to Help Power Communities— It Harnesses Ocean Currents to Generate Electricity

As a teenager, have you ever invented something that could help your community? At a time when most still play games and hang out with their friends, Hannah Herbst has already invented a project that proves even young people can make a big difference in the world.

Image Credits: Business Insider

Who Is Hannah Herbst?

In 2015, 14-year-old Hannah Herbst from Florida created a device called the Ocean Energy Probe. It uses the currents and tidal waves of oceans to make electricity for places that don’t have reliable power supply.

Her idea was inspired by a 9-year-old pen pal in Ethiopia, who did not have an abundance of electricity or clean water in their village. The idea she came up with is simple, but the task it was trying to achieve is very complex, especially on a large scale.

Read more: Business Insider

How Does the Ocean Energy Probe Work?

2015 National Finalist: Hannah Herbst

Hannah’s device is tiny and made from common parts like a PVC pipe and a 3D-printed propeller. Its goal is to harness the power of the moving waves, so it is placed on top of the water, and then the propeller is below the surface, spinning due to the movement underneath. That spinning powers up a small generator.

This idea can charge batteries or run low-energy tools like a water filter. If the scale is adjusted to be larger, though, it will most probably power up machines used for daily life and even electric devices utilized for medical purposes, and more.

Read more: Florida Atlantic University News

What Did She Achieve?

Hannah won the 2015 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge and was named “America’s Top Young Scientist.” She received a $25,000 prize and shared her invention at the White House Science Fair.

Today, Hannah Herbst is now a fully renowned professional who has been featured in many publications like The Huffington Post, Forbes, and WIRED. Her passion for science and inventions has not gone away, and she has even educated other people in the STEM field.

Her success and passion at such a young age have encouraged a lot of people and scientists to strive to do better. Showing us that there are a lot more ways to generate electricity than our normal hydroelectric dams, nuclear power plants, and wind turbines. Her invention might be on a smaller scale than all of those, but it still proves that with a will, and the right skills and knowledge, we could build something new and better.

Read more: Wharton Global Youth Program

Why Does It Matter?

Up to this day, many people around the globe are living with not enough energy or electricity, and some places don’t have access to it. Hannah’s invention offers a simple, renewable way to help, and anyone should be able to build it with the proper guidance and materials.

By harnessing the power of nature, in this case, the ocean currents that are all around us, communities can have light, clean water to drink, and better health care, with abundant energy.

From Compassion to Innovation: A Never Ending Adventure with Hannah Herbst

Author's Final Thoughts

Hannah’s story reminds us all that no matter who you are or how young you are, you can contribute to the world for the better. You might think that what you built or invented is small and doesn’t matter, but it could just end up changing someone’s life, or even the world. You will never know if you don’t try.

Read more: High School Student Uses Native American Recipe to Win Science Fair — Proves It Kills Cancer Cells (in Lab Tests)