Power in the Ocean - World's First "Real" Floating Wind Turbine

Since my career first began in Ocean Engineering, I've always been interested in the growth and technology from the Marine industry. My biggest complaint, however, is the lack of resources that exploit this huge unexplored territory. The ocean has an almost infinite number of power sources--we can create power from offshore currents, from the ocean wind, from the jetstream, from the sun....you name it and the ocean has a place to put it. Well, finally, the world is being introduced to the first large-scale ocean wind turbine. It's 240-feet across, 120-feet up in the air, and extends about 300-feet deep. The best part is it's not founded in the seabed--IT'S FLOATING!! The manufacturer, Siemens, "anchored the structure to the seafloor with three wires and a control system enables the turbine to dampen the effects of wave-induced motion." Sounds structurally difficult but I like it! Personally, I would have created a multitude of smaller turbines that actually sit in the ocean and are constantly powered by waves, because this huge mammoth (which works intermittently because it's based on wind) only has a 2.3MW output (only enough to power about 2000 homes in a year). Those smaller turbines would actually be double-helix's and look similar to a DNA strand--creating the most surface area for multi-directional waves to penetrate. Either way I'm glad a major corporation is making strides in renewable power. Maybe someone will see my double-helix idea and make me a millionaire or at the very least copy my blog and make me famous. Not holding my breath.

By the way, what the heck is up with the Chevy Volt? According to this article, the car can get up to 230 MPG. Is it just me or is this a glaring admission that the American car companies have always been just a few steps away from truly renewable sources of power and simply waited until the last possible moment to roll out the technology? I find it hard to believe we magically made our technology 1000% more efficient within five years (going from 23 MPG to 230 MPG). Soon I hope our society starts to work with technology instead of against it, or we may all be living on our own floating turbine.

Information courtesy of CE magazine www.pubs.asce.org