Showing posts with label Turbine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Turbine. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Monday, February 4, 2008
Theirs is definitely bigger than ours...
Enercon, the third largest turbine manufacturer in the world, is going a little bit nuts over in Germany...
The Deutschland-based, multi-national energy company has been on the scene for quite some time, specializing in the production of wind turbines, the construction of desalination plants, and the publication of unfortunately-named magazines (Windblatt). Well, they appear to be VERY ambitious at the first of the three, considering they've now built the turbine to end all turbines...well...that is, of course, until a bigger one comes along.
The E-126 prototype (pictured below) is a behemoth!
The tower alone is an amazing 131 meters (429 ft) high and required a 180 meter (590 ft) crane for construction.
The Tower walls are over 45 cm thick and required over 110 cubic meters of concrete to build. Located near the Ems River, the silty ground was soft and required 64 fifty-six-centimeter thick piles driven in to the ground 24 meters deep to support the structure.
It can power over 5000+ European 4-person homes, but what I like most is the optimized blades that turn in on themselves. In the event of high winds the blades do not shut down completely, but rather tilt like the prop on a place. The drag is reduced and the blades continue to spin at an optimized 12 revolutions per minute.
Read the Press Release pdf (courtesy of Windblatt Magazine) here.
Original find via Metaefficient.
The Deutschland-based, multi-national energy company has been on the scene for quite some time, specializing in the production of wind turbines, the construction of desalination plants, and the publication of unfortunately-named magazines (Windblatt). Well, they appear to be VERY ambitious at the first of the three, considering they've now built the turbine to end all turbines...well...that is, of course, until a bigger one comes along.
The E-126 prototype (pictured below) is a behemoth!
The tower alone is an amazing 131 meters (429 ft) high and required a 180 meter (590 ft) crane for construction.The Tower walls are over 45 cm thick and required over 110 cubic meters of concrete to build. Located near the Ems River, the silty ground was soft and required 64 fifty-six-centimeter thick piles driven in to the ground 24 meters deep to support the structure.It can power over 5000+ European 4-person homes, but what I like most is the optimized blades that turn in on themselves. In the event of high winds the blades do not shut down completely, but rather tilt like the prop on a place. The drag is reduced and the blades continue to spin at an optimized 12 revolutions per minute.Read the Press Release pdf (courtesy of Windblatt Magazine) here.
Original find via Metaefficient.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Tower of power too sweet to be sour...
What is this?
A reflective window curtain?
A disco opera house?
A Frank Gehry-designed ski lodge?
Drool.
Final note, all investors should keep a sharp eye on Sunpower Corp. Picture Exxon with a free oil tap.
Just watch. California/Nevada/Arizona will (sooner than you think) take over as the new Middle East.
A reflective window curtain?
A disco opera house?
A Frank Gehry-designed ski lodge?
A chrome satellite dish?
Eat your heart out Rob Cockerham...
...it's a solar furnace!!!
The above solar furnace was opened, appropriately, at the dawn of the disco era in the Pyrenees of France, and remains the largest solar furnace in the world. Basically, the curved face of the structure is covered with mirrors and acts as a parabolic reflector, concentrating and isolating the reflected light into a centralized location the size of a basketball hoop. The reflection is so powerful that it can reach a temperature of up to 5,432 degrees Fahrenheit.
Why France? This particular location is competing with Southern California, seeing as it's sunny 300 days out of the year. Why build one at all? This particular application is expected to advance much of anything on this planet. However, the structure might prove useful outside of our atmosphere on space missions. It is so powerful that it could produce heat, power and aid in the production metals and other materials for industry.
The concept itself dates back Archimedes when, in 200 BC, a parabolic reflector was said to by built and used as a weapon of war. Some of you might remember Adam and Jamie's mythbusting attempt, replicating the experience. Although Adam and Jamie could not initially find plausibility in the legend, a group of supernerds from MIT recreated --with success-- the boat-destroying build in 2005.
Although the solar furnace concept appears to be orbit-bound, new(er) advancements in solar technology have produced some amazing results. Relying on the same principles, the 'Heliostat' power plant (pictured below) utilizes mobile mirrors to continuously reflect the sun to a central point in the tower. Instead of re-reflecting the light to another point, the structure actually absorbs the heat internally for later use. In most instances that heat is used to boil water, thus powering internal or external steam turbines.
Near Seville, Spain:
'Solar One' in Boulder City, Nevada:
Decommissioned 'Solar Two' in Daggett, California:
Where are solar towers going to take us? Well, the January 2008 issue of Scientific American believes that we're on the verge of "A Solar Grand Slam," able to end the U.S. dependence on foreign oil and carbon emissions by 2050. Granted the whole article doesn't focus solely on solar tower technology, but who said that one individual tech-sector was going to save the world?
Key points from the article:
That piece is all well and good, but articles like this don't geek me up half as much as artistic renditions like these (see below). It's a proposed parking structure covered with a solar tower field.
Eat your heart out Rob Cockerham...
...it's a solar furnace!!!The above solar furnace was opened, appropriately, at the dawn of the disco era in the Pyrenees of France, and remains the largest solar furnace in the world. Basically, the curved face of the structure is covered with mirrors and acts as a parabolic reflector, concentrating and isolating the reflected light into a centralized location the size of a basketball hoop. The reflection is so powerful that it can reach a temperature of up to 5,432 degrees Fahrenheit.
Why France? This particular location is competing with Southern California, seeing as it's sunny 300 days out of the year. Why build one at all? This particular application is expected to advance much of anything on this planet. However, the structure might prove useful outside of our atmosphere on space missions. It is so powerful that it could produce heat, power and aid in the production metals and other materials for industry.
The concept itself dates back Archimedes when, in 200 BC, a parabolic reflector was said to by built and used as a weapon of war. Some of you might remember Adam and Jamie's mythbusting attempt, replicating the experience. Although Adam and Jamie could not initially find plausibility in the legend, a group of supernerds from MIT recreated --with success-- the boat-destroying build in 2005.
Although the solar furnace concept appears to be orbit-bound, new(er) advancements in solar technology have produced some amazing results. Relying on the same principles, the 'Heliostat' power plant (pictured below) utilizes mobile mirrors to continuously reflect the sun to a central point in the tower. Instead of re-reflecting the light to another point, the structure actually absorbs the heat internally for later use. In most instances that heat is used to boil water, thus powering internal or external steam turbines.
Near Seville, Spain:
'Solar One' in Boulder City, Nevada:Decommissioned 'Solar Two' in Daggett, California:Where are solar towers going to take us? Well, the January 2008 issue of Scientific American believes that we're on the verge of "A Solar Grand Slam," able to end the U.S. dependence on foreign oil and carbon emissions by 2050. Granted the whole article doesn't focus solely on solar tower technology, but who said that one individual tech-sector was going to save the world?Key points from the article:
A massive switch from coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear power plants to solar power plants could supply 69 percent of the U.S.’s electricity and 35 percent of its total energy by 2050.
A vast area of photovoltaic cells would have to be erected in the Southwest. Excess daytime energy would be stored as compressed air in underground caverns to be tapped during nighttime hours.
Large solar concentrator power plants would be built as well.
A new direct-current power transmission backbone would deliver solar electricity
across the country.
$420 billion in subsidies from 2011 to 2050 would be required to fund the infrastructure and make it cost-competitive.
That piece is all well and good, but articles like this don't geek me up half as much as artistic renditions like these (see below). It's a proposed parking structure covered with a solar tower field.
Drool.
Final note, all investors should keep a sharp eye on Sunpower Corp. Picture Exxon with a free oil tap.
Just watch. California/Nevada/Arizona will (sooner than you think) take over as the new Middle East.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
I don't think we're in Detroit anymore, Toto...
Foster + Partners carbon neutral design "Motor City" won a competition back in April in Aragon Spain, but I just discovered it today and felt it was worth a mention. The shape and design, given the surrounding background, didn't exactly scream sustainability. But I digress...The roof of the pavilion, designed with the slick curves of an F1 racer, is laden with photovoltaic cells, solar thermal tubes, and wind turbines. The resulting aerodynamics, in addition to the modified guts and gears, make the building carbon neutral.
Want to take a virtual tour?
I, however, only believe in the claim of carbon neutrality 10 years after construction...with biiiig stacks of reports/facts/evidence. Regardless, I was pretty amazed with the work F+P has done over the years. Pretty amazing stuff.
Then again, I'm not sure I would want to change the landscape of Aragon, Spain. Beautiful.
Anywhoo, from their website:
Foster + Partners has won the international competition to create La Ciudad del Motor -Motor City – a major new leisure and cultural zone within a new motor sports centre in Alcañiz, Aragon, it was announced today. The scheme was chosen from a shortlist of internationally-renowned architectural practices; Jean Nouvel, Dominique Perrault, UNStudio and MVRDV.
The design of Motor City is inspired by the sleek aerodynamic aesthetic of the racing car. The smooth forms and volumes of the building are sculpted by solar and wind patterns with a lightweight roof that floats over the entire complex. Motor City will use passive environmental controls as well as harnessing renewable energy, enabling the whole complex to be carbon neutral.
The roof integrates sustainable design elements such as photovoltaic cells and solar thermal tubes on its surface together with an array of wind turbines. The sweeping roof culminates in a tower which gives the development its identity. When illuminated at night, it will become a beacon for Motor City, echoing the nearby Parador of Alcañiz announcing a new era of sustainable development for the region.
The practice is opening a new office in central Madrid in May to look after and develop its work in Spain. This competition win is the latest in a group of projects the practice has recently won throughout Spain that includes Madrid’s City of Justice, the headquarters for Repsol YPF, a winery for Faustino and a masterplan for Seville.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
If only they were cleaner on the inside...
While the New York Time's City Room Blog has some less-than-kind things to say about the aesthetics of New York's new hybrid turbine buses, I think they're Airstreamariffic.
From William Neuman's article:
The city’s other hybrid buses run like hybrid cars. They run off battery power some of the time and diesel or (in the case of many cars) gas engines at other times. And the braking action helps charge the batteries.
The test bus is different in that it runs on battery power all the time. It has a diesel engine, but that is used only to charge the battery, although the bus also uses the brakes for that purpose. The diesel engine is different too. It is a turbine engine.
Read more here...
From William Neuman's article:
The city’s other hybrid buses run like hybrid cars. They run off battery power some of the time and diesel or (in the case of many cars) gas engines at other times. And the braking action helps charge the batteries.
The test bus is different in that it runs on battery power all the time. It has a diesel engine, but that is used only to charge the battery, although the bus also uses the brakes for that purpose. The diesel engine is different too. It is a turbine engine.
Read more here...
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
That's Ecofantastic!!! Day 6...
Ecofantastic: A product/method/ideology so absurdly priced/developed/formulated that its irrationality transcends any purposeful usage and/or implementation into the present-day green movement, to the point of almost becoming fantasy.
Ecofantastic: Your platinum, diamond-encrusted small wind ecobling...
[Thanks, Deena]
Neighbors fight, states scramble over clean power
By Thom Patterson
CNN
Curt Mann's neighbors are livid, accusing him of erecting an ugly wind turbine among their historic homes for no other reason than to show off his environmental "bling."
The 49-year-old residential developer is remodeling his 1920s house to be more environmentally friendly, including installation of a 45-foot-tall wind turbine in his front yard. "It's really none of their business how I spend my money," Mann said.
The towering turbine, which overlooks majestic trees and Victorian rooftops, pits preservationists in Atlanta's Grant Park Historic District against a property owner and his individual rights.
"It's unattractive and it's a nuisance," said Scott Herzinger, whose home is three doors down. Mann "invaded the public view ... when he put that tower up."
In blustery regions, home turbines can cut power bills by up to 80 percent. But opponents claim Mann's wind turbine needlessly threatens neighborhood property values because Atlanta's low winds don't produce enough speed to make the device worthwhile.
At a cost of $15,000, Mann said the turbine will shave at least $20 per month off his power bill -- hardly a windfall. A proposed federal tax credit would bring Mann $3,000. Acknowledging it could be decades before his investment pays off, Mann said, "even if it was a 50-year payback, at least we've done something to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels."
Ecofantastic: Your platinum, diamond-encrusted small wind ecobling...
[Thanks, Deena]
Neighbors fight, states scramble over clean power
By Thom Patterson
CNN
Curt Mann's neighbors are livid, accusing him of erecting an ugly wind turbine among their historic homes for no other reason than to show off his environmental "bling."
The 49-year-old residential developer is remodeling his 1920s house to be more environmentally friendly, including installation of a 45-foot-tall wind turbine in his front yard. "It's really none of their business how I spend my money," Mann said.
The towering turbine, which overlooks majestic trees and Victorian rooftops, pits preservationists in Atlanta's Grant Park Historic District against a property owner and his individual rights.
"It's unattractive and it's a nuisance," said Scott Herzinger, whose home is three doors down. Mann "invaded the public view ... when he put that tower up."
In blustery regions, home turbines can cut power bills by up to 80 percent. But opponents claim Mann's wind turbine needlessly threatens neighborhood property values because Atlanta's low winds don't produce enough speed to make the device worthwhile.
At a cost of $15,000, Mann said the turbine will shave at least $20 per month off his power bill -- hardly a windfall. A proposed federal tax credit would bring Mann $3,000. Acknowledging it could be decades before his investment pays off, Mann said, "even if it was a 50-year payback, at least we've done something to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels."
Monday, September 24, 2007
That's Ecofantastic!!! Day 2...
This whole week I will be honoring ecofantastic items...
Ecofantastic: A product/method/ideology so absurdly priced/developed/formulated that its irrationality transcends any purposeful usage and/or implementation into the present-day green movement, to the point of almost becoming fantasy.
Ecofantastic: The notion that green buildings are inherently good for the environment...
Normally, I would try to sum this up in my own words, but Geoff Manaugh at bldgblog has written a much better article than I could ever pen. So here's an infographic summary of the article instead:
Some highlights from their article:
Unless a "green" building actively remediates its local environment – for instance, scrubbing toxins from the air or absorbing carbon dioxide – that building is not "good" for the environment (see: Kunstler's eyeysore of the month, see: 9800 sf house). It's simply not as bad as it could have been...
If the U.S. military had solar-powered Abrams tanks, or hydrogen fuel-cell-powered long-range bombers, or wind-powered bases in the Middle East, would the sustainable design community be encouraging them to build more and more of the things? Probably not. But when a multimillionaire developer puts up a skyscraper in the center of London, or Paris, or New York, full of space devoted to, say, investment banking, with a few arbitrary wind turbines on top, the sustainable design community actually gives that person free publicity and encourages him or her to build more. There seems to be a moral issue here.
Keep reading
Ecofantastic: A product/method/ideology so absurdly priced/developed/formulated that its irrationality transcends any purposeful usage and/or implementation into the present-day green movement, to the point of almost becoming fantasy.
Ecofantastic: The notion that green buildings are inherently good for the environment...
Normally, I would try to sum this up in my own words, but Geoff Manaugh at bldgblog has written a much better article than I could ever pen. So here's an infographic summary of the article instead:
Some highlights from their article:
Unless a "green" building actively remediates its local environment – for instance, scrubbing toxins from the air or absorbing carbon dioxide – that building is not "good" for the environment (see: Kunstler's eyeysore of the month, see: 9800 sf house). It's simply not as bad as it could have been...
If the U.S. military had solar-powered Abrams tanks, or hydrogen fuel-cell-powered long-range bombers, or wind-powered bases in the Middle East, would the sustainable design community be encouraging them to build more and more of the things? Probably not. But when a multimillionaire developer puts up a skyscraper in the center of London, or Paris, or New York, full of space devoted to, say, investment banking, with a few arbitrary wind turbines on top, the sustainable design community actually gives that person free publicity and encourages him or her to build more. There seems to be a moral issue here.
Keep reading
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
The only Mariah I can stand...
Sleek vertical axis small wind...is there anything sexier?
At 30 feet tall and 2 feet wide, and only $4000 - I don't think so.
Nevada based company Mariah Power has developed the Windspire, the smallest behemoth (huh?) I've ever seen. With numerous applications, residential/small business/kinetic sculpture, I still can't get over the shape. It's pretty.
See for yourself...
At 30 feet tall and 2 feet wide, and only $4000 - I don't think so.
Nevada based company Mariah Power has developed the Windspire, the smallest behemoth (huh?) I've ever seen. With numerous applications, residential/small business/kinetic sculpture, I still can't get over the shape. It's pretty.
See for yourself...
Kind of like your looking up nature's skirt.Anywhoo...I've exclaimed my love for vertical axis technology before, but this Savonius design actually knocked the patchouli right out of me. It's mounted on a cement foundation so you don't need to secure it to the ground with hundreds of guy wires, and you can even plug it directly into your house because it doesn't need to be hardwired (a plus for any affluent renter!).
From their website:
Mariah Power’s patented technology includes a rotor, generator, and inverter designed as a complete system to optimize the conversion of wind energy into electricity. The 1kW (1 kilowatt, or 1,000 watts) Windspire will produce approximately 1900* kilowatt hours per year in 12 mile per hour average winds. The Windspire also includes an internal wireless modem that can continuously transmit power production information directly to your computer so you can check your power production at any time.
The rotor is a Modified Savonius design. Our high efficiency rotor was...combined with an innovative high-strength yet cost-effective construction, using a steel frame with low cost insertable plastic panels. The extruded plastic panels come on rolls and are simply inserted into the rotor frame. These breakthroughs in design and construction provide high efficiency with low cost and an extremely safe blade-free design.
Don't know if you have wind? Check out their wind maps.
Have 8 mph breezes? That's enough to start generating energy.
Worried about too much wind? No problem...it's rated up to 100 mph gusts.
I love it that there are so many new prototypes hitting the market. I can't figure out which I like more. Is a vertical axis turbine sexier when it's laying on its back?
What about on the road?
THREESOME!!!!!!
I need a clove.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Jay Leno blows...
I'm on a roll...
"Small wind" is going mainstream...and God only knows there's nothing more mainstream than the king of overindulgence, Jay Leno (the man is so rubbery middle-o-the-road that I swear he could be a White House Press Secretary...and how many cars does one really need?).
Jetson Green has a feature on Jay Leno's newest addition to his 15 bazillion (B!) car garage, a Delta II Wind Turbine.
A single turbine.
Enough wind energy will be harvested in one day to fuel one Ferrari for...enough energy to gas up his jaw for....enough wind to blow away a...damn it!
SEE!!! You can't even crack a joke about him!
I'm off to watch Conan.
Check it article with numerous videos here.
"Small wind" is going mainstream...and God only knows there's nothing more mainstream than the king of overindulgence, Jay Leno (the man is so rubbery middle-o-the-road that I swear he could be a White House Press Secretary...and how many cars does one really need?).
Jetson Green has a feature on Jay Leno's newest addition to his 15 bazillion (B!) car garage, a Delta II Wind Turbine.
A single turbine.
Enough wind energy will be harvested in one day to fuel one Ferrari for...enough energy to gas up his jaw for....enough wind to blow away a...damn it!
SEE!!! You can't even crack a joke about him!
I'm off to watch Conan.
Check it article with numerous videos here.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
When it works, it blows...
Wind-generated turbine technology has come a long way since the days of yore (sorry, I'm fascinated with the word "yore").
The last two decades have seen numerous advances in tech design, increased turbine size and manufacturing improvements...all of which have reduced the cost of wind power during the last 20 years to just 3 to 7 cents (on average) per kilowatt hour for utility-scale project sites. Turbines have even moved to the sea, generating energy from the waves and tides.
Still not sexy enough for you? Try the old-tech Darrieus wind turbine. Patented in 1927, these "giromills" have been around for quite a while, but continue to thrive in areas where the wind is consistently strong. The problem is, they basically need to be push started to get them going.
[Click on pic for larger]
Still not sexy enough? You little wind energy pervert.
Try award-winning hybrid Quietrevolution on for size.
Founded in 2000 by Robert Webb and Richard Cochrane, Quietrevolution is making the world take notice. They're taking a century old technology and morphing its DNA into an efficient, productive little energy machine.
So why vertical? You sure do ask a lot of questions.
Vertical axis wind technology has numerous advantages. Point-free directional capabilities not included, these units have their generators and gearboxes at ground-level, allowing acrophobic service staff to rest easy. And due to their compact design, models like the Quietrevolution QR5 can also be placed close to buildings and on top of towers.
Cost? The £25,000 sticker takes only 15 years to pay for itself.
Too much for your rooftop? Take it to tax dollars.
Why not line the center dividers of the freeway with thousands of these guys? Use the gas we guzzle to power our own greedy selves?
You know what it's like to almost be blown off the freeway by an 18 wheeler, so you know the power is there.
Still not enough? Time for craziness.
Take the whole vertical axis turbine concept and stick it on magnets (thanks, China).
Yep...magnets. Why not.
Maglev, a loudly lauded company with a now-defunct website (largely in part due to heavy Digging), is trying take friction out of the equation by borrowing from the high-speed train industry. The turbines are now floating.
Similar claims from other companies are heavily saturated in "could be" sponge water, but the concept itself makes want to open up my Hover Rink Rollerama.
Househacker has the best analysis on the claims I've seen thus far . Check out their updated analysis for a whole bunch of numbers/statistic talk I'll never understand.
Craziness.
The last two decades have seen numerous advances in tech design, increased turbine size and manufacturing improvements...all of which have reduced the cost of wind power during the last 20 years to just 3 to 7 cents (on average) per kilowatt hour for utility-scale project sites. Turbines have even moved to the sea, generating energy from the waves and tides.
While that information sounds nifty (sorry about "nifty," too), those turbines have nothing on their vertical axis brethren. Take the windmill pictured above, flip it on its back, wrap two blades around each other, and let it rip. Something just got a whole lot sexier.
"Small wind" is the new big oil (only it doesn't use its powers for evil).
So why is the spiral blade design effective, given its smaller stature and relative efficiency?
First and foremost, they're like Cheney on a pheasant hunt...they don't need to aim at anything! With the rotor shaft running vertically and the spiral blades seizing wind form every direction, they can be mounted virtually anywhere. Check out the numerous applications offered by companies like Windside.
Pictured below: The closely-related Savonius Wind Turbine.
Still not sexy enough for you? Try the old-tech Darrieus wind turbine. Patented in 1927, these "giromills" have been around for quite a while, but continue to thrive in areas where the wind is consistently strong. The problem is, they basically need to be push started to get them going.
[Click on pic for larger]
Still not sexy enough? You little wind energy pervert.Try award-winning hybrid Quietrevolution on for size.
Founded in 2000 by Robert Webb and Richard Cochrane, Quietrevolution is making the world take notice. They're taking a century old technology and morphing its DNA into an efficient, productive little energy machine.
So why vertical? You sure do ask a lot of questions.
Vertical axis wind technology has numerous advantages. Point-free directional capabilities not included, these units have their generators and gearboxes at ground-level, allowing acrophobic service staff to rest easy. And due to their compact design, models like the Quietrevolution QR5 can also be placed close to buildings and on top of towers.
Cost? The £25,000 sticker takes only 15 years to pay for itself.
Too much for your rooftop? Take it to tax dollars.
Why not line the center dividers of the freeway with thousands of these guys? Use the gas we guzzle to power our own greedy selves?
You know what it's like to almost be blown off the freeway by an 18 wheeler, so you know the power is there.
Still not enough? Time for craziness.Take the whole vertical axis turbine concept and stick it on magnets (thanks, China).
Yep...magnets. Why not.Maglev, a loudly lauded company with a now-defunct website (largely in part due to heavy Digging), is trying take friction out of the equation by borrowing from the high-speed train industry. The turbines are now floating.
Similar claims from other companies are heavily saturated in "could be" sponge water, but the concept itself makes want to open up my Hover Rink Rollerama.
Househacker has the best analysis on the claims I've seen thus far . Check out their updated analysis for a whole bunch of numbers/statistic talk I'll never understand.
Craziness.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Ireland's Tidal Turbine Delayed...
*Collective sad sigh*
The world's first tidal turbine was set to create electricity from tidal energy, but installation dates have been pushed back. Originally planned for drop-down in Northern Ireland this summer, an unfortunate August 3rd press release announced that Marine Current Turbines would be delaying installation due to prior commitments of the installation vessel (shown below).
A2Sea, the owners and operators of the machine, are currently in discussion with Marine Current Turbines to decide on a new date. Apparently A2Sea is behind schedule on another project, with the irony being that the top of their homepage states, "We deliver...based on the experience of more than 200 offshore wind turbines successfully installed." They did say when they deliver...just that they did, in fact, deliver.
From the website:
SeaGen is the name given to the 1.2MW tidal energy converter that will be installed in Strangford Lough during 2007. Sea Generation Ltd is the project company which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marine Current Turbines Ltd. SeaGen has been has been licensed for a maximum installed duration of 5 years.
Marine Current Turbines Ltd have been operating the 300kW Seaflow tidal energy system at Lynmouth, Devon since May 2003 and are recognised as being one of the worlds leading tidal energy system developers.
The proposal to install SeaGen in Strangford Lough was initiated in November 2003. The environmental consultancy, Royal Haskoning Ltd was appointed in 2004 to scope the environmental considerations and conduct the environmental impact assessment.
For addition research in the field of tidal energy:
Electric Power Research Institutes's Tidal in Stream Energy Conversion Project (TISEC)
The world's first tidal turbine was set to create electricity from tidal energy, but installation dates have been pushed back. Originally planned for drop-down in Northern Ireland this summer, an unfortunate August 3rd press release announced that Marine Current Turbines would be delaying installation due to prior commitments of the installation vessel (shown below).
A2Sea, the owners and operators of the machine, are currently in discussion with Marine Current Turbines to decide on a new date. Apparently A2Sea is behind schedule on another project, with the irony being that the top of their homepage states, "We deliver...based on the experience of more than 200 offshore wind turbines successfully installed." They did say when they deliver...just that they did, in fact, deliver.
From the website:SeaGen is the name given to the 1.2MW tidal energy converter that will be installed in Strangford Lough during 2007. Sea Generation Ltd is the project company which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marine Current Turbines Ltd. SeaGen has been has been licensed for a maximum installed duration of 5 years.
Marine Current Turbines Ltd have been operating the 300kW Seaflow tidal energy system at Lynmouth, Devon since May 2003 and are recognised as being one of the worlds leading tidal energy system developers.
The proposal to install SeaGen in Strangford Lough was initiated in November 2003. The environmental consultancy, Royal Haskoning Ltd was appointed in 2004 to scope the environmental considerations and conduct the environmental impact assessment.
For addition research in the field of tidal energy:
Electric Power Research Institutes's Tidal in Stream Energy Conversion Project (TISEC)
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