| The Energy Island: A Gigantic Offshore Battery? |
| Written by A Siegel | ||
| Tuesday, 02 October 2007 | ||
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The Energy Island incorporates a new concept in pumped hydro storage — an inverse offshore pump accumulation station (IOPAC). Ahh, pumped hydro storage. Something which we know well and that has been around since the late 19th century. Pumped storage works well as a partner to wind power, storing at roughly an 80-90% efficiency. Pumped hydro storage thus enables reliable power supplies with wind power. Well, there is something new and innovative here. KEMA, Lievense and the Das brothers have designed an artificial island that would, in essence, be somewhat like a Pacific atoll, but the inner water surrounded by the outer ring would be sealed off from the larger ocean. The interior reservoir would be 50 meters deep, enabled by the mud of the seas off the Netherlands. And the island (the dikes/outer ring) would be made from the materials dredged to create the reservoir. On that outer ring would be a long line of wind turbines for sending power ashore. When producing excess power, sea water would be pumped out of the enclosed lake into the surrounding sea. When there is greater demand, sea water flows back into the "lake," driving generators. The analysis to date suggests a 12-hour power delivery at 1.5 gigawatts (roughly equal to three coal-fired plants). The KEMA analysis suggests a total annual storage capacity of 20 GWh or "enough energy to offset 500 to 840 kilotons of CO2 emissions." Note that the Energy Island truly does seem to be an island of energy. Not only the wind mills and electrical generators from sea water, but as well a chemical plant (better far from an urban area) and a liquid natural gas (LNG) terminal.
Comments
(6)
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written by Eric , October 02, 2007
what about building the island?? how long would the island have to function in order to offset original carbon costs? or are there islands in place already that they wish to modify?
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written by Adrian Akau , October 02, 2007
Why not just apply this concept to dams. Excess energy from wind generators could pump water at the base of the dam back into the top to keep it filled so that the water would last during periods of drought and there would be energy provided during windless times. No excavation would be necessary as in the energy islands and with the rising water and strong storms due to Global warming, it would be much safer this way.
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High Tides
written by EV , October 03, 2007
Couldn't a similar approach be used to harness tidal energy? I'll admit one wouldn't have as much of a change in height for the water, but couldn't you have high tide come into an area, block it off, and slowly let out the water through turbines?
Some thoughts.
written by A Siege , October 03, 2007
Adrian ...
Hydro power storage, basically using damns, works well. (International Hydropower Association Pumped Storage Database)However, it is constrained as a storage device to where the water (the dams) exist and where there is adequate water for using the hydro-system as a storage unit. These are greatly constraining requirements. The Netherlands is not exactly dam/hydropower friendly. EV -- There are tidal power generation approaches, with some EcoGeek/Energy COOL ones being proposed. Eric -- RE carbon/CO2, excellent question.
RE Net Energy Balance / GHG Emissions ..
written by A Siege , October 03, 2007
RE Eric's comment above, best item I found (generally) about this subject area is this report: "Net energy balance and greenhouse gas emissions from renewable energy storage systems" (http://fti.neep.wisc.edu/pdf/fdm1261.pdf). Note that this does get into something like the "Energy Island", although one could see something like this in the Great Lakes off, for example, Chicago.
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written by green engineer , February 26, 2008
Ingenious and yet so simple.
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