Principal Investigator Alexander Slocum
Project Website http://pergatory.mit.edu/energy.html
Offshore, floating wind turbines offer promise of greater capacity factor (>50%) with more powerful generators than are currently offered for on-shore wind turbines. The deeper water available far offshore, over the horizon, also offers the potential for energy storage. We are designing large diameter (15m-35m) concrete spheres that can be used in conjunction with floating wind turbines to store excess wind energy for more consistent load to shore and to provide for peak power demands. Additionally, for offshore oil platforms, the sphere design offers potential as safe hydrocarbon storage for hurricane shut-in procedures.