I’m willing to bet that when you first think of a prison you don’t exactly think of an energy efficient platform. Dr. Margot Krasojevic’s concept of a hydroelectric waterfall prison will actually provide energy to mainland homes, in addition to being self-sustaining. After viewing some of the mockup screenshots, I’ve come to the conclusion that it doesn’t look half bad either.

Essentially, the structure is attached to a tension-leg platform designed to withstand the seas, which also happens to be tethered to the sea bed. Weight is evenly distributed by unique structural loops, which aid in keeping the entire platform in the proper position. A pump sucks seawater up and pours it out onto surrounding turbines floating below, creating a waterfall-like energy system. The energy is produced for the prison, and excess juice is transferred via underwater cables to the mainland.

Dr. Krasojevic says that the setup is capable of producing 3.2 megawatts of excess energy, which is approximately 2,000 homes. Of course, the prison will also power itself too as mentioned above.

When I first heard about the project I pictured prisoners in a hamster like setup running to generate power. Unfortunately, that’s not how Dr. Krasojevic’s concept will work. Personally, I think it would be a good idea to put some of those prisoners to use for the good of society, but that’s just me.

It doesn’t look like the Hydroelectric Water Prison Power Station will be built anytime soon, but the good Dr. is apparently discussing the concept with developers in Beijing. That means we could see something like this adopted elsewhere in the world. Just consider for a moment how eco-friendly a structure like this would be? Tree huggers would love it!

I stand by the idea that we need to find alternate power sources for the future. This would certainly be an interesting setup, provided it works as advertised. I’m sure more than a few tourists would even venture to the structure to snap a some photos. Can you imagine, traveling to a prison like this just to get a great photo op? Wait… we do things like that already, don’t we?

Check out the source link below for more information and some more concept screenies.

[via Gizmag, Margot Krasojevic]