FLOATING WIND TURBINES

INTRODUCTION
Energy from non-conventional sources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides come under the category of renewable energy With nations taking stringent measures to reduce their carbon emissions renewable energy is becoming a popular alternative to the conventional fossil fuel based energy sources. Among different sources of renewable energy wind energy provides negligible risk, high efficiency and zero emission option for future energy needs.

Wind Power
Wind is the fastest growing renewable energy source growing at an annual rate of 25%. Wind energy can be converted to other forms of such as
i. ii. iii. iv. Using turbines to generate electricity Windmills for mechanical power Wind pumps for water pumping Sails to propel ships

At the end of 2011 worldwide nameplate capacity of wind power generators was 238 GW

 Wind turbines are used to extract wind energy and generate electricity. The blades of the rotor turns a shaft that is in turn connected to a generator. The electricity flows down heavy electric cables inside the tower to a transformer, which increases the voltage of the electric power to the distribution voltage.

Wind Turbines

Floating Wind Turbines

A floating wind turbine floats on the surface of water , tethered rather than attached to a structure the ocean floor. The wind farms and turbines are put up at hundreds of miles from coastlines, conveniently out of view. The floating platforms are attached to the seabed by mooring lines.

Types
There are three main types of floating wind platforms: i. Ballast stabilized ii. Tension leg platforms iii. Buoyancy stabilized platform

Technologies Used
Hywind : The structure itself is a steel cylinder, similar to a spar buoy, filled with a ballast of water and rocks. Blue H : It is a modified form of a Tension leg platform.

 Wind Float: It is an integrated system, consisting of a semisubmersible commercial offshore horizontal axis wind turbines. HiPRwind: The worlds largest publicly-funded research project to develop deep-water offshore wind technology.

Advantages
They allow developers access to previously inaccessible waters where there is stronger yet less turbulent winds helping to reduce the overall cost of wind energy. Eliminating offshore lifting operations also provides for decreased weather window restrictions on installation. The piling activities and sea life disturbance can be minimized - greatly reducing negative environmental impacts.

Future Scope
Japan plans to build as many as 80 floating wind turbines off Fukushima by 2020. The RFP is seeking proposals for 25 MW of deep-water offshore wind capacity to supply power for 20-year long-term contract period via gridconnected floating wind turbines in the Gulf of Maine.

Conclusion
The aim is to bridge the gap in technology development between small-scale tank testing and full-scale offshore deployment and reduce the risks and costs of commercialising deep-water wind technology. Key focus areas will include reliability, remote maintenance and grid integration, with a particular emphasis on how floating wind technology can help to overcome the financial and technological limitations of current wind turbines and support structures.

References
http://inhabitat.com/new-wind-float-stable-enough-to-hold-worldslargest-wind-turbine/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floating_wind_turbine Deep Water Floater Concepts for Offshore Wind Turbines-Design, Modelling and Testing By Paul D. Sclavounos , Department of Ocean Engineering , MIT Floating Offshore Wind Turbines: Responses in a Seastate Pareto Optimal Designs and Economic Assessment By Paul Sclavounos, Christopher Tracy and Sungho Lee ,Department of Mechanical Engineering , MIT Dynamic Response of Floating Wind Turbine By M. Karimirad Non Conventional Energy Sources By G.D Rai

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