Framlinghamian 2023-2024 Single page - web 144dpi - Flipbook - Page 303
SOF | NOTICES
PROFESSOR HUGH STEPHEN SALTER
MBE (R50-56), Stephen Hugh Salter,
inventor, born 7 December 1938, died
aged 85 on 23 February 2024.
He was the inventor of the Salter’s Duck,
a wave-power device that was the 昀椀rst
of its kind and promised to provide a new
source of renewable energy for the world
– until it was e昀昀ectively killed o昀昀 by the
nuclear industry.
up at the age of 84! They moved to West
Bridgford in Nottingham about eight
years ago, to be near one of his sons, and
found an assisted living apartment beside
the river Trent. Always the 昀椀xer, he set
about modifying furniture and working
In 1982, after eight years of development
out how to make the most of cheaper
under Salter’s direction at Edinburgh
o昀昀-peak electricity to heat the apartment.
University, the United Kingdom Atomic
He advised all the other residents and
Energy Authority (UKAEA) was asked
produced instructions on how this could be
by the government to see if the duck
done. Even just a few days after having a
might be a cost-e昀昀ective way of making
pacemaker 昀椀tted at age 91, he was down
large quantities of electricity. To the
in the laundry room doing the weekly
great surprise of Salter, and others, the
wash and using the time to discuss plans
UKAEA came to the conclusion that it
for the next residents’ meeting!
was uneconomic, and that no further
government funding should be given to the
project.
Since he died during the restrictions of the
pandemic there were only 30 people at
the cremation and the celebration of his
A decade later it emerged that thanks to a
life at St Giles’ church in West Bridgford.
misplaced decimal point, the review had
However, as his son-in-law was adept at
made Salter’s duck look 10 times more
streaming services from his church, he set
expensive than the experiments showed it
about doing a live stream on Facebook for
was likely to be. The UKAEA claimed this
those who were not allowed to attend.
was just a mistake, but Salter, who had
never been allowed to see the results of
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