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Floating Wind Turbines Could Expand Offshore Possibilities
POSTED BY: DAVE LEVITAN / WED, JUNE 30, 2010 spectrum.ieee.org For the same reason that heading a bit offshore yields consistent and strong winds, though, heading even farther offshore often will improve those conditions even further. To take advantage of the wind blowing over deeper water, there is movement now to use floating wind turbines as a way of avoiding the need to anchor into a deep sea bed. According to one company, the biggest turbines currently available could feasibly work on such floating rigs. Marine Innovation & Technology's WindFloat can theoretically support giant 5-MW turbines. The floating rig, made up essentially of three platforms with the turbine tower extending from one of them, is designed to withstand the rigors of a "100-year storm," according to a paper published in the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy earlier this month (by company employees). And according to Principle Power, who has purchased the technology for WindFloat, several projects are in the works that could see turbines in the water by 2011 or 2012.
by Tenzing at 10:59 AM

There are already working designs of 10MW turbines. The bigger the better (in windpower).
A bigger turbine sweeps much more area than a smaller one (power is a function of swept area squared) and is space efficient (better one big turbine than 10 smaller ones that require more than 10 times the area of the bigger one and ten times the maintenance).
The same applies to home wind turbines.

no one anywhere on this planet is arguing that renewables are not where we should be going.. The choice is really fossil vs. nuclear for the rest until renewables are ready to take over 100% of generation, which will likely still take a lot of time

@Sims: I believe in the human potential to perform what by some may consider miracles. IF there was a concerted effort to establish this technology backed by the convictions of our global community the potential power source from this technology is enormous, IMHO. In the realm of energy production YES demands effort NO demands apathy.

@tenzing of course it can be done, duh.. But it's going to take longer than 2020 to get rid of fossil fuel for energy generation, regardless of how optimistic you are.

@Sims I agree, but there's a flaw in the concept. The problem here is that there's no this-quarter bottom-line benefit to upgrades, or even expensive, no EXPENSIVE maintenance. 40 Year old nuclear plant technology? I'm sure glad I'm not stuck with a 40 year old computer... or car.

CNN posted this, its a clip of what the wave hitting the plant actually looked like. www.cnn.com Look at how high the splash is! (I think this is when it hits the turbine buildings, but I could be wrong.)

@Dan - That would do it. That is probably the location of the webcam too.

@radio guy: tbh I'm still amazed that power plant designs that depend on permanent active cooling to prevent a melt-down were ever approved for construction, they're just a recipe for disaster in case of wide-spread grid problems. Hope they thought about what to do in case of a recurrence of something like this en.wikipedia.org - is a bit scary when you think about it

What I am worried about is if another 8.5'rt or 9'er earthquake hits this area even within next 1-2 years (even more) situation still might go out of control. Given the serious of aftershocks this is definitely possible

@all - I dont know it this was posted yet. GoJ bans Rice Planting in contaminated soil japantoday.com

@Sims @radioguy I find the main issue of what WE can do as a group being missed... we can follow what is going on at Japan... but we really can not DO anything constructive there... but look at the data (only the US, at this refer) People keep missing the repair / re-lienceing going on in this country.... It may be because i understand the "crack and fatuige" issue being in the buisness... As i have gone through some of the reports... not pertaained to Japan.... deep in side are the "really scary stuff" that is in there and NOT in the media... take a minute and pull up "surry Power house in Virginia..... they are PWR and build approx 40 years ago... in 1986 when they were reallitvly young in there life span... they had an accident on the Boiler Feed water or Main steam line, not sure which.... "it was due to pipe fatuige.... IT ONLY KILLED 4 WORKERS, AND PERMITLY BURNED 2 MORE" --- It's not a BIG deal as it was on the "cold" side..... THAT POWER HOUSE WAS JUST RE-LICIENCED FOR 20 MORE YEARS, it will now operate for about 60 years vs the 40 its designed for..... and the workers were killed when it was about 10 - 15 years, also check out the Vermont nuke power house.... they were granted by NRC to increase the "power output by something a % that takes it above the design paramaters and still manting the % of safety margin... It then creates a saftey consern that relates to "NPSH" which relates to cooling safety ability.... the info stated above needs verified... but the old reactors are "CASH COWS" to the utilites, and the people do not really know what is being done.... that 20 year old car just got a new engine and transmission, but the brake lines are still going to be old tech and OLD.... Sorry to Ramble on... but as a group we need to not just pass by these article, if they don't pertain to Japan.... we are looking at Japan here....

@ Radioguy -I've had the same view -sort out the waste 1st & I'll go along with it - now I hope that vested interests don't win to keep on building new plants -In the UK it feels as if thier views have a monopoly

@radioguy I don't think the general public has a clue as to the dangers of Nuke Power, (i am not saying I am against it its going to be here until the liences run out--I'm for Safe Nuke Power until then), but there is a big push to build new ones and the public needs to know that these old ones are bieng approved for a longer period.....One thing I do know about the US we put reg's and Laws on the books, but eveyone looks the other way until THE SHIT HITS THE FAN.... with nukes thats to late.... and we never seem to learn from history....

Has anyone posted these yet? In Japanese, but include annotated pictures
of where the water levels were (I think)
www.meti.go.jp
@Nancy - see especially third attachment 4,823KB file

Why are things so slow? No news?

Remarkable increase of radiation in Akiruno, Tokyo, during the last hours:
www.ustream.tv

@spanish_reader It's 4:30 in the morning there. Things will wake up soon.

Japan forbids rice plantations in radiation-contaminated areas (spanish, sorry)
sp.rian.ru

@all Where do we have the collection of TEPCO releases or a good, solid timelines for all reactors per day?

Answering my own question with just the thing I was seeking. It even includes as drop-downs the color-coded JAIF ereports for each day. Excellent.

en.wikipedia.org

@Tenzing just read your post, agree with you, but if you were in my line of work and seeing some of the reports that get posted, but don't get talked about..... these plants are operating on a "we know were going to have a faluire" nothing to do with Mother natue, but they calculate the % rate of if and then % of contamination.... I am talking about just "operating fatige" and we keep giving them permission to operate for 20 more years, or a 15% greater out put than they were desined for 40 years age..... we are a TMI just waiting to happen... there have been three in my life span .... when do We say enough.... not your not go to operate over the original design on a 40 year old plant or run for 20 more years on old tecnology... well enough rambaling, sorry guys