Naked Science Forum

On the Lighter Side => New Theories => Topic started by: opportunity on 14/09/2018 11:46:51

Title: Cyclone alley, storm surges: wheres the techs to harness that huge energy?
Post by: opportunity on 14/09/2018 11:46:51

So many ideas available in terms of catching water rising in storm surges, and wind capturing devices, massive ones, onshore paddle wheels, half up in the air, half down in the ground.

Any ideas?

Title: Re: Cyclone alley, storm surges: wheres the techs to harness that huge energy?
Post by: evan_au on 15/09/2018 02:14:49

In strong winds, wind turbines have their blades oriented so they don't produce any rotation, and the brakes applied.

But hurricanes can exceed the protection that this provides.

See hurricane vs wind turbine, starting at the 1 minute mark:

Title: Re: Cyclone alley, storm surges: wheres the techs to harness that huge energy?
Post by: Kryptid on 15/09/2018 22:02:02

Hurricanes do produce large amounts of power, but they tend to occur only during particular times of the year in each hemisphere. Combine that with the very low likelihood of a hurricane passing over any given location during the year and the prospect of using some kind of power plant to capture its energy seems slim. Even if you built many such systems and spread them around the coasts, the majority of those plants will not be producing power during most of the year, which makes their cost-effectiveness highly questionable.