Power generation

1. A power generator, comprising:

a shaft having a helical thread;

a first vertical support member arranged substantially parallel to the shaft;

a first generator slidably coupled to the first vertical support member;

a clutch assembly rotatably coupled to the shaft so as to engage with the helical thread for movement along the shaft in a first direction, and disengage from the helical thread for movement along the shaft in a second direction;

a buoyant rotor assembly coupled to the clutch assembly; and

wherein the first generator is arranged to create electric energy from interaction of a conductor with a number of magnetic elements on the buoyant rotor assembly, in a manner to produce electricity, as the clutch assembly rotates about the shaft and along the helical thread when falling in the first direction due to a gravitational force.

2. The power generator of claim 1 , wherein the clutch assembly and buoyant rotor assembly are free to rotate about the shaft as the buoyant rotor assembly is moved in the second direction by a buoyant force applied by a rising fluid therebeneath.

3. The power generator of claim 1 , wherein the periphery of the buoyant rotor assembly is a flywheel, and wherein the majority of the buoyant rotor assembly mass is located near a periphery of the assembly.

4. The power generator of claim 1 , further comprising:

a second vertical support member arranged substantially parallel to the shaft;

a second generator slidably coupled to the second vertical support member; and

wherein the second generator is arranged to create electric energy from interaction of a second conductor with a number of magnetic elements on the buoyant rotor assembly, in a manner to produce electricity, as the clutch assembly rotates about the shaft and along the helical thread when falling in the first direction due to a gravitational force.

5. The power generator of claim 4 , further comprising:

a third vertical support member arranged substantially parallel to the shaft;

a third generator slidably coupled to the third vertical support member; and

wherein the third generator is arranged to create electric energy from interaction of a third conductor with a number of magnetic elements on the buoyant rotor assembly, in a manner to produce electricity, as the clutch assembly rotates about the shaft and along the helical thread when falling in the first direction due to a gravitational force.

6. The power generator of claim 1 , wherein a distance along the length of the shaft between successive turns of the helical thread is different for a first portion of the shaft than for a second portion of the shaft.

7. The power generator of claim 6 , wherein the distance along the length of the shaft between successive turns of the helical thread is increasingly shorter along a length of the shaft.

8. The power generator of claim 6 , wherein the distance along the length of the shaft between successive turns of the helical thread is shorter for the first portion than for the second portion.

9. The power generator of claim 6 , wherein the first portion is located at a higher elevation on the shaft than the second portion.

10. The power generator of claim 6 , wherein the distance along the length of the shaft between successive turns of the helical thread is arranged to initially slow vertical movement along the shaft of the clutch assembly so as to provide temporary separation of the buoyant rotor assembly from a receding buoyant force.

11. A power generator, comprising:

a shaft having a helical thread;

a clutch assembly rotatably coupled to the shaft so as to engage with the helical thread for movement along the shaft in a first direction;

a buoyant stator assembly including a number of conductor windings;

a rotor assembly coupled to the clutch assembly and rotatably coupled to the buoyant stator assembly, the rotor assembly including a magnetic field source positioned proximate to the windings; and

wherein the rotor assembly is arranged to move the magnetic field source relative to the conductor windings, thereby generating electricity in the conductor windings, as the clutch assembly rotates about the shaft and along the helical thread when falling in the first direction by gravitational force.

12. The power generator of claim 11 , wherein the rotor assembly is coupled to the buoyant stator assembly perpendicularly to an orientation of the shaft.

13. The power generator of claim 12 , wherein the rotor assembly is positioned within a cavity formed about the shaft by the buoyant stator assembly.

14. The power generator of claim 13 , wherein the magnetic field source is positioned above the conductor windings.

15. The power generator of claim 14 , wherein the clutch assembly is rotatably coupled to the shaft so as to engage with the helical thread for movement along the shaft in a first direction, and to disengage from the helical thread for movement along the shaft in a second direction.

16. The power generator of claim 13 , wherein buoyant stator assembly includes a buoyant member coupled to a housing member, the housing member containing the conductor windings.

17. The power generator of claim 11 , wherein the buoyant stator assembly is slidably coupled to at least one vertical support structure to prevent rotation of the buoyant stator assembly about the shaft.

18. The power generator of claim 11 , wherein the clutch assembly and rotor assembly are free to rotate about the shaft when the buoyant stator assembly is moved in the second direction as a buoyant force is applied by a rising fluid therebeneath.

19. The power generator of claim 11 , including a wave-directing structure partially enclosing the shaft and having a cross-section permitting travel along the shaft of the buoyant stator assembly.

20. The power generator of claim 19 , wherein the wave-directing structure is configured as a venture tube.