An integrated energy conversion and storage facility for offshore wind and wave energy exploitation along the west coasts of North America and Europe

Abstract

An integrated energy conversion and storage facility based on a floating foundation is introduced. It consists of an on-board 10 MW wind turbine and eighteen wave energy capturing buoys along the front of a floating foundation, with pumped hydro-energy storage. The proposed floating foundation is designed for waters off the west coasts of North America and Europe, where strong winds and high waves prevail. To operate the wind turbine safely, the design provides viable performance in waves and possesses the hydrodynamic attribute of being a wave amplifier such that the buoys may capture twice as much wave energy as in open water. The proposed wave energy capture and conversion design provide both protection against breaking wave impacts and good access for repair and maintenance, heretofore two major technical obstacles in the way of offshore wave energy exploitation. As shown by rough assessment of the proposed floating facility, its improved cost effectiveness may allow a major move from onshore to offshore wind turbines. Since the levelized cost of onshore wind farms is about equal to conventional coal plants and roughly 30% lower than an advanced coal plant with carbon dioxide capture and storage, the proposed offshore facility may prove a viable, large scale alternative to coal plants since available land and wind resource are somewhat limited for onshore wind farms.