Offshore Wind Goes Underwater
Today’s BBC news includes a story about a plan for a massive tidal power project planned for Scotland. But this is not a wave-power system like that in Portugal, or even a tidal reach system like the WaveGen system. Rather it is an underwater wind farm using turbines very much like those used on land to extract power from ocean currents.
This is not a new idea. Similar systems are currently being tested in New York’s East River. On the other coast, PG&E is looking at possibly siting turbines on the sea bed underneath the Golden Gate bridge. Wind turbines are proven technology, and the problem of bringing power ashore from offshore installations is also well understood, so putting the turbines themselves under water is hopefully a relatively small step.