"Germany's green energy plan includes skyscraping offshore turbines. ..genius -- or just tilting at the world's biggest windmills." "Germany plans on going green in a major way by getting at least 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020. As a European leader in renewable energy, this is a place where you can hardly throw a rock without hitting a wind turbine or a solar panel." "So how will they improve?" "One strategy: harnessing some of the strongest winds from the sea with turbines" http://asap.ap.org/stories/1596954.s
I'd much rather see this off the coast: Than this: Yet there are still those out there who oppose them, largely because they block the view...
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tadashi @ Jul 24 2007, 10:36 PM) [snapback]484522[/snapback]</div> Yup. There are a couple of projects on New York's East River and the Mersey, which is in NW England (Liverpool is where its mouth is, I think). There are also devices which extract energy from wave action, but those are a different beast. All of this stuff is relatively new (not really, but for producing electricity they are) and is just now starting to get into energy legislation. A few states, RI and OR, are starting to pursue some of these technologies. There's a massive amount of energy to be had in this area.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Devil's Advocate @ Jul 25 2007, 03:54 PM) [snapback]484895[/snapback]</div> Ted Kennedy should know about water action. :huh: Tom
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Devil's Advocate @ Jul 25 2007, 01:54 PM) [snapback]484895[/snapback]</div> Fortunately, that drunken POS can't stop offshore projects outside of MA. Deleware is looking to start developing their offshore wind resources. I think TX has also looked into it. The more the better. Cape Wind will eventually get developed, but it'll take until the next age.
The reason I was thinking about the energy from the water is that they now how hybrid sailboats (catamarands). Normally the prop folds up on a sailboat when not in use to reduce drag but in the hybrid sailboat the prop turns generating power to be stored in batteries so when you are not using yoru sails you have an electric motor for power.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tadashi @ Jul 25 2007, 07:36 PM) [snapback]485156[/snapback]</div> Towable generators have been in use for a while too (different from what you described above). Most cruisers also have solar panels and/or small marine wind turbines. The goal is to minimize the use of the engine as a generator, thus saving the diesel for when it might really be needed (the ROI is also pretty short). The hybrid cats are sweet. Not cheap, but then again, what new 40+ ft yatch is.
