Musial didn't mention this in his presentation, but deepwater wind turbine research owes a lot to offshore oil rig technology. In fact, the world's first deepwater wind turbine, the Beatrice demonstration project in Scotland, is being developed by a Scottish oil company adjacent to one of their offshore oil fields. Like an offshore oil rig, the 5 MW turbine will be perched atop a 40 meter stage.
The turbine itself is also huge - compare the turbine blades in the photo above to the vans parked next to it in the upper-right corner. Big turbines that generate a lot of power are necessary to justify the huge capital investment in deepwater construction.
Here's a BBC news article with photos of the turbine floating out to sea.
But, just as deepwater oil rigs are now using floating platforms in deeper water, so offshore wind turbines will someday float on the surface, tethered to the bottom a hundred meters beneath.
Again, an oil company is leading the way in this technology: Norway's Statoil is developing Hywind (pictured), a floating turbine that can live in deep water and withstand punishing weather.
2 comments:
Hello! I am the president of Grays Harbor Ocean Energy Company,
see http://www.graysharboroceanenergy.com, and we have figured out the solution for offshore wind foundations for at least the near term. I like your blog, good writing! Thanks,
Burt Hamner
Burt..
I lately learned that there will be a Block Island wind farm. After years of seeing obstruction to Cape Wind, if this story is true, it appears RI will have many new jobs and 15% of it's electricity from this.
Assume I was able to direct TARP money to your gulf of Maine effort as opposed to the financial or auto industry...what regulatory, grid distribution and capital constraints do you have preventing this project from providing NE and Mid Atlantic Market, 40% of its electric need in 5 years.
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