Solar Wind and Wave. Can this ocean hybrid platform nail all three?

Solar, wind and wave power from a single offshore platform? That's the holy grail of renewable energy, and one that has not yet been achieved at commercial scale. All of that may be about to change though, as a German company called Sinn Power goes to market with their hybrid solar, wind and wave offshore platform design.
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[@rons7522]

When the first Oil Rigs were built they faced many problems. Over time each problem was addressed and resolved, this process will continue with any new ideas

[@thepeff]

I forgive the pessimism. One of the things that makes you a good science/tech youtuber is that you're both skeptical and optimistic

[@massimookissed1023]

Skeptimistic.

[@SaveMoneySavethePlanet]

Agreed. We have enough channels constantly going “did we just solve Climate Change?!?!” So it’s nice to have someone that’s constantly bringing a more realistic view to everything. Plus, it helps me feel more well equipped in case any of this stuff hits the voting booth in some way.

[@JustHaveaThink]

Thank you. I appreciate that :-)

[@abajojoe]

Skeptical? Are you kidding!? He’s the most gullible “scientist” I’ve ever seen.

[@thepeff]

@@abajojoe you ever see Undecided with Matt Farrell? Wendover? Elon Musk? Anyone who's uttered the word hyperloop? Abajo Joe? Oh wait, that's you, and you're not worth bringing up.

[@genieb]

From experience (33+ years in the offshore industry, and counting) it is very hard to design systems that are low maintenance and have long life and reliability is extremely difficult. However, the modular approach and smart designs may just be able to get there. One place I would look at first is the Pacific Ocean, and in particular the sheltered bays / lagoons that have waves but not a dramatic as the open ocean in a cyclone (we just had one go past in New Zealand and the waves were impressive............). I would love to know more about the real life use. One more thing, my background is in innovation in the offshore industry and I have learned that a lot is possible. It is not always easy but there are plenty examples to prove that things can survive and flourish in the harsh offshore environment. It just takes time, energy and money to make it work.

[@robertshaw7614]

As I recall in the seventies a British University group designed an interesting break water system. It basically consisted of two barges hinged together and an electric generator that would recover the energy by the flexing of the hinge caused by the waves. Parallel barge pairs would be string together anchored with chains to protect a coast line from heavy waves. The water behind this barge assembly would be calmer water with much smaller waves. Since climate change will bring higher sea levels and more violent storms this idea may become timely again.

[@wittenhenderson875]

Yesss! I love the idea of floating cities/power stations. You could also suspend fish farms under the island or put hydroponic/vertical farms on the top of it. This would let cities create highly efficient food farms just off their shores to supply their own needs instead of relying on food shipped from around the world. Love to see it!

[@paulhaynes8045]

As for de Bono. I've always been a bit sceptical of lateral thinking, as it's hard to explain and supporters of it can usually only give a few examples (which aren't always of what I think of as 'lateral thinking' anyway!) It's also very difficult to teach, as human beings seem to be very stuck in a 'normal' thinking rut. But de Bono did give one example years ago on R4 which intrigued me. He was asked by a small Australian town to suggest ways of stopping people from parking too long in the congested Main St area. They had tried fines, zones, meters, etc, but drivers just ignored them. De Bono suggested that they just bring in a law that anyone parking in town must leave their headlights on full whilst parked (in those days, batteries weren't as robust as they are now, so would rapidly go flat). This was easy to police, as cars not following the new law would be obvious (both to the police and fellow parkers), and required no infrastructure or expenditure to implement. And it worked very effectively!

[@piccalillipit9211]

That's actually a very good story.

[@TheRahsoft]

@@gorgthesalty the colour hats? each representing a different aspect of the issue, postive, negative, economic, ecological etc

[@bearalohalani]

It's been quite a while since I read the book, but here are some that I remember: white hat is "look at all positive / best case aspects"; black hat "look at all negative / worst case aspects". There are also green hat (financial?); red hat (emotional?); blue hat, and yellow hat - neither of which I remember. But now I want to reread the book, because I mostly go to black hat thinking and I want to change that. Thanks for reminding me of it.

[@Johnrich395]

This is the reason I still watch these.

[@liammullan2197]

There are some really good KZbin channels about renewable tech and I watch them all avidly, but this is my favourite. Thorough research, digestable information, and all delivered in an agreeable and humorous way. Also, no ads, which is very generous.

[@JustHaveaThink]

Wow, thanks! Much appreciated :-)

[@autohmae]

Also, this channel is clearly not just about tech, but a much bigger picture view

[@Irene-fu6gj]

@@JustHaveaThink The ad free aspect is under noticed to viewers. . .

[@jutinato9557]

Small correction to the 1:56 part: Since the company is from germany, I as a 17 year old german student can tell you that we still use ohps in school because of our incredible digitalisation meaning that the sinnpower employees defenetly know what a overheadprojector is

[@tomellis4750]

One translation of sinn being mind, we have mind power. Or go all the way to have sinnkraft.

[@brokkoliomg6103]

I had to grin really hard when he was talking about that lol Well, he can't know everything, especially when it comes to our superior digitalisation efforts. /s But perhaps the new government can bring some change forward.

[@JustHaveaThink]

Fair enough. I'm sorry to hear that your schools cannot yet afford modern projectors and laptops. And I thought Germany was an affluent country?

[@jutinato9557]

@@JustHaveaThink Yes everyone at my school (even the teacher) is joking about the fact we the rich germans still use such outdated tech. But to be fair i have to say that it did got better. Our school has a computer room with circa 25 working PCs (unfortunately most classes are around 30 people...), some rooms which are mainly used be the lower grades (5 & 6) got some whiteboards installed and the city just bought us i think 80 ipads or so. But since my school has about 600 students as far as i know the teacher still sometimes has to roll in that little cart, search for a working electrical socket and pray that no 5th grader put a little piece of paper under the mirror.

[@brokkoliomg6103]

@@JustHaveaThink My Mom is a teacher at a grammar school an boy can I tell you stories. A few years ago they tried to order new overhead projectors but the company was surprised bc they dont make those anymore and only had a few left in stock. Staff laptops that were ordered last year and arrive up until 2024 (making them basically outdated when they arrive) and no allowance for any program installations by the teachers on those devices. A smartboard which had technical issues was swapped back to a blackboard (reverse digitalization lol). The "Digitalpakt" the last government made is a few billion euros strong, but experts say there's 100b€ needed in initial investments. It's all pretty laughable and frustrating for such a country to have such badly equipped schools. Countries like Denmark started those investments in the early 2000s and here we are, still not getting on with it.

[@danielnavarro8569]

Love it! Best wishes to them, really hope they can put the system to work on multiple locations, the world needs this kind of solutions!

[@ziziroberts8041]

I am encouraged simply by the fact that people are working on developing alternative energy sources. 🎶Sail on, sail on through the wind and the sun, when your floats are tossed and blown...

[@chrisstearns10]

That will be cool to see the platforms outside every beach city around the world👍

[@jamaus555]

I was designing a similar thing when i was 12 years old (32 years ago) with water cooling for the pv to increase efficiency. Glad that someone has finally got around to it. Thanks for the information. Peace

[@nacoran]

They've got wave power down, but they are leaving ocean current power and maybe even geothermal and aquathermal on the table. Actually, aside from a fish farm, another use for this might be to power desalinization. Your already in the right location, and powered desalinization can also be used to harvest trace elements in the sea water.

[@davitdavid7165]

Using water cooling on solar wpuld definetely be cool. I think the metal construction might mean the rods will heat up and cool down with the water, which migh have even been the intention behind it.

[@jamaus555]

I have hybrid pv with water heating on the underside, but at sea you could just use the ocean as a pasive heat sink, so you dont need to power a pump.

[@gendragongfly]

I think the project would bolster more confidence if they had 28 years of offshore construction experience. These are bright ideas, but making them feasible in an environment as harsh and unpredictable as the world's oceans is by far the biggest challenge.

[@koenvaniersel8713]

I kind off agree, but if the project has been ongoing for 5 years and is subsidized by the German government. I think it's a safe to assume that they've consulted many experienced offshore construction engineers.

[@anuardelcastillo2627]

if today technology can built tough oil platforms at sea. and we know its reliable. then lets just change the drill for all the goodies this guys suggest. as a car mechanic I dont sea any trouble on retrofitting an old platform and saving millions of dlls by the way!

[@incognitotorpedo42]

@@anuardelcastillo2627 If you were a ship mechanic you'd probably see the problems.

[@anuardelcastillo2627]

@@incognitotorpedo42 with this conversation I hope to learn much! cheers

[@bearalohalani]

These are *German* engineers. 😁

[@AnkurShah]

Love the info here and the balanced perspectives. Thank you, Dave!

[@JustHaveaThink]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@vwasson6725]

Very impressive!!! Nice to see people thinking laterally.

[@michaellucas7177]

Thanks for the update

[@clarusfish]

What an amazing design, I hope this takes off!

[@petterbirgersson4489]

I love how you keep on churning out these very informative and well-made videos. Thank you!

[@emmanuelr710]

Pretty cool. A perfect blend of synergy between all of the technologies and the elements.

[@13minutestomidnight]

This is a very intelligent and practical way to optimise not just renewables energy but offshore installations of many kinds. However, even though the ideas behind it are very practical and rooted in durability, because it's such a new and innovative way of doing things in a very demanding environment, it's likely that teething issues will develop (including commercial market pressures). It's an awesome technology and exactly the kind of innovation the world needs, so I really hope they succeed commercially and perfect the technology. Good on the German government for supporting such projects.

[@GreatDiver69]

now for my final trick: add desalination plant, a fish farm, and hydroponics chambers. Glad to see at least half of an idea I had 6 years ago finally get going! Great video!

[@preciousearth1123]

Great work done by Sinn Power and many thanks to you for bringing these kind of brilliant works for us

[@ladyselenafelicitywhite1596]

This is truly remarkable. Thank you for sharing this information with us 🙋🏼‍♀️

[@michaellucas7177]

This is truly an exciting idea!!!

[@guygillmore2970]

I’m sure they have eliminated galvanic corrosion between the stainless steel and aluminium. But what about sea birds roosting on the platform? Perhaps they will harvest the guano also….

[@LORDOFDORKNESS42]

...Isn't there a couple of tiny islands where guano is still harvested as a strategic resource, simply because bird poop is such a cheap source of... phosphor, I think it was? And just plain fertilizer, of course. If you can somehow make the birds not ruin the wind turbines, or just see the wave power as a minor boon, that might not be a bad business model, honestly. Just tug away one or two platforms when its starting to approach capacity, and slot a new one into place.

[@blueredbrick]

The solution will be lasers

[@markturner7459]

@@blueredbrick Yeah....heat seeking..lol

[@alangood8190]

These bright young scientists have probably already thought of that and are developing a composting plant for bio gas production to power gas turbine engines ;-)

[@williammeek4078]

Yes, by using stainless steel.

[@4_Science]

Neat! I'd be concerned about the combination of aluminum and stainless steel in a wet environment causing galvanic corrosion and the whole thing falling apart. Also, I'd add some pathway next to the solar panels to allow you to walk between them (or just make them tough enough to walk on) in order to clean them

[@bernardthedisappointedowl6938]

Always a calming video to watch on a Sunday, appreciated, ^oo^

[@JustHaveaThink]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@johnnylillis5813]

An absolutely great video, well done. Good research too. Thanks very much.

[@vinay7397]

Love it seems like a very clever system

[@rachelcarre9468]

Your videos give me hope!

[@jeremytravis360]

I do live your videos and watch them every week. I also have notifications turned on to all. And I also full appreciate the time you dedicate to fully edited subtitles.

[@JustHaveaThink]

Thanks Jeremy. I very much appreciate your feedback :-)

[@ekim000]

Sounds like a cool idea. The modularity/configurability particularly appeals.

[@garybouck3389]

A power hungry planet needs multi faceted approaches. No single source can ever suffice. This is a fabulous concept.

[@marcob.7801]

As usual, another well presented, well researched, video. You have a knack for concise, timely and well documented topics concerning all those whom want to see our planet survive AND thrive into the21st & 22nd.centuries. I'm very glad to have become one of your new patreons! Kudos and keep up the great work!......Mark Barbera

[@peteroneill2991]

Another excellent vlog thanks Dave.

[@JustHaveaThink]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@mammiemania893]

Thank you for the heads up on Edward de Bono. And for the constant - Just have a think - . Keeps me ticking/thinking. It's appreciated.

[@liamredmill9134]

Now that is tri lateral thinking,gonna watch it now

[@Arrow912]

Hi, a german student here. Those overheads, we know them pretty well...digitization masters!

[@rifleman42051]

The integration and efficiency on this type of tech is top notch!!! Loved this video!!!!

[@JustHaveaThink]

Glad you liked it!

[@bigbootros4362]

Great idea.

[@conorsheehan9929]

I lived in a housing estate which had terraces of houses placed at different angles to each other . There was one particular area with a lane way between two blocks of houses . A gale force wind always seemed to blow through that open lane way . The idea of creating a “ wind tunnel “ with built structures occurred to me . Then I thought , higher areas of ground generally seem to be subject to stronger wind conditions than lower areas , so.......choose an uninhabited hill or mountain , drill a large tunnel through from end to end , Place in - line turbines in the tunnel, keeping in mind the prevailing wind direction, . The turbines would not suffer from weather damage and the remote location would cut down on noise and there would be no visual damage to the landscape .

[@Alex_Pro_A]

Drilling a tunnel is a very expensive activity. And tunnels are always need some maintain, that is not cheap as well. So, i guess, your idea is much more expensive, then just put a conventional wind turbine on a top of your hill or mountain. But it would (probably) a good idea to find natural canyons or other places with the effect you have describe here, and just create a little bit engineering without needs to build everything from the scratch.

[@rwargo1647]

It's awesome to see such great accomplishments.

[@iomeliora9430]

Promising! It's one of the most finished new technology you reviewed in a long time. At least, it relies on existing and tested tech. If I had dough instead of debt, I would seriously consider investing it there.

[@ladyselenafelicitywhite1596]

Me too 🙋🏼‍♀️

[@Leopold5100]

thank you, another informative considered article

[@geraldnemanishen5079]

What struck me was your last image of the float on a breakwater creating electricity. There are exponential sites that could be retrofitted for this application.

[@michaelcloresandersm.d.7050]

Thanks for your video, love watching Just Have a Think!

[@charleshoward1475]

I really enjoy the Just Have A Think Channel. Your presentation is clear and steady. I think the innovation displayed within this Ocean hybrid platform is absolutely immense. We need clean renewable energy right now, I believe companies that create the mechanical and technical means to generate power should be given greater incentives to do so. I truly hope the modular system shown here proves to be a viable commercial success so as we can all benefit from it. Thank You for another thought provoking episode.

[@ajayvee6677]

My piece of lateral thinking is this: use obsolete but operational oil tankers as the ‘spine’ of the platform, or around its perimeter, rather than breaking them up. This has the following advantages at low cost. 1. The containerised energy modules can be transported to the site, assembled on board then winched down into position. The ship provides initial anchorage and crew quarters plus a high level platform for solar panels and wind turbines. The ship can be manoeuvrable to provide some shelter from the prevailing wave and wind conditions during storms. It also provides a helicopter pad for maintenance crews. 2. The cleaned out oil storage tanks, modified with seawater pumping systems, can be converted to fish farms. A sequence of tanks could replicate different habitats to optimise the growth of phytoplankton, zooplankton, anchovies, seaweeds, caged shellfish and larger fish for harvesting. The plankton rich waters provide the food source for the higher tropic levels. 3. If moored in deep, tropical waters the ex-tanker/solar farm/wind farm/ fish farm complex could also provide the means to generate power from the thermoelectric effect, by sucking cold nutrient-rich water from depth, running it through a heat exchanger with surface water, then pumping it into the phytoplankton tanks.

[@andycordy5190]

Speaking of 'game changers', this subject has been top of my list for a while now since seeing the prototype wave generator they sited in Herakleion, Crete, which is now abandoned wreckage.

[@totherarf]

Two thoughts strike me .... 1. The vast size difference between the turbine sizes when docked to an off shore wind farm show the relatively miniscule power output from the wind side of the kit! 2. Someone has sat in a nice office thinking this one up ..... I doubt they have ever encountered a real sea storm and what wave heights they would need to deal with on occasion. After all we are getting once in a century storms every few years now! If you look at your typical oil rig, it is built that big for a reason. If waves can break the spines of huge cargo haulers a puny aluminium cylinder will not last long! A great idea though!

[@rlsearch1]

I just love Davedays, I mean Sundays 😂👍 I so look forward to seeing what wonders you have on offer. Thank you for another well researched and presented video 👍😊keep up the great work Dave and have a wonderful week 👌😊

[@Kevin_Street]

Thanks for another great video! The idea of this is certainly good. It's less like, say, the invention of the lightbulb, and more like the invention of the USB - standardizing existing technologies so they can be used in novel ways. The really clever bit (imo) is using the wave powered floats to stabilize the platform. I'm guessing that's how they can fit multiple units together and not worry about tidal effects stressing the connectors between them. The use cases look pretty fun. Of course the main use is those offshore wind farms, but I like the idea of industrial islands. Imagine what some developing nations could do with self-powered industry that could be assembled just off shore. And offshore from large cities, the uses could be limitless... You mentioned green hydrogen, but the one that really intrigues me is desalination. Ten megawatts sounds like more than enough power to run a desalination plant that could pump fresh water to the nearby city. Oh, and sewage treatment! You could take some giant city that pumps raw sewage into the ocean and put a renewably powered sewage treatment plant in the water at the end of the pipe.

[@xpdnc9794]

Brilliant Idea! I hope this gets taken up big time in the small developing nations of the Pacific, to make them more self sustainable.

[@henkbaas5878]

the combination is perfect in my opinion

[@joelthomastr]

That modularity is just "mmm-wah" delicious

[@IDann1]

Most of the worlds surface is covered in water 💦, it sounds like a good concept, let’s all hope it works.

[@FloatingIdeasonanarrowboat]

One thing I have learnt from my boat: flat solar gets silted up because the water evaporates leaving behind everything the rain brought. That is inland fir me on my canal. But twice this year my panels have been covered by a yellow coating of Saharan dust. This is in the South of England. Add to that any gradual accumulation of salt spray and you are going to need regular cleaning. Tilted panels are almost self cleaning when nearly vortical. One benefit of a steep angle is that you maximise solar for winter in higher latitudes. You can also get reflected light from the water.

[@tonydeveyra4611]

I think it's more likely to integrate kelp farming and multitrophic mariculture with offshore wind.

[@brandonb3279]

I always laugh at your subtle (or in this case perhaps, not so subtle) hints at your skepticism. At least, that's how I read them, anyway.... Such as your reaction @2:08 to the average age being so young. Which, as I took it, conveyed that such an ambitious engineering project would likely benefit from having some much more experienced people on board. Even if I'm reading it wrong, such reactions still tickle me pink regardless! 😁 I love your style of "skeptimism" mixed with (sadly rare) high quality science & technology journalism. Thank you for all of your hard work in providing such great content, and I hope you always continue to keep doing you!

[@anders21karlsson]

Great video as always....

[@angelusmendez5084]

Awesome, thanks! 👏

[@frozenyogurtist]

Good idea, I like it.

[@phayios]

Thank you for the very informative video. It got me wondering what other combinations of hydro and wind could be used. You have given me lots of useful food for thought over time. Thank you

[@oxvendivil442]

This is a very good project.

[@TheKinLoong]

Thx and well done

[@badrinair]

I really like the setup that this new startup is proposing. It is trying to harness all the three types of energy that is free to use. Hopefully it takes off and someday it might even provide offshore housing or a resort

[@Withnail1969]

It's completely idiotic. It will never be built in real life because nobody wants their expensive solar panels ending up at the bottom of the sea.

[@badrinair]

@@Withnail1969 Just like all those off shore wind mills that have sunken down to the ocean floor is'nt it ?

[@Withnail1969]

@@badrinair Those are nothing like this.

[@paulhaynes8045]

Looks good. I wonder if these modules are string enough to be used as a floating bridge as well? An extra bonus, eg in places where there are lots of islands close together.

[@iomeliora9430]

It might not be so good if it meant white people suddenly invading paradise islands for tourism purpose, though. It may seem cynical, but it might be a consequence.

[@dragosmihai1001]

I had the same idea thanks to your video, only that I didn't have the funds to do it!

[@terrytytula]

As someone who's been at sea in a storm, the first thought that crossed my mind, is that these platforms won't last five minutes in a good gale. One has to only look at oil platforms massive legs, the platform high above any wave, to see the reality of any offshore installation.

[@rogerwilson6367]

I live on the coast in the UK and they won't last 5 minutes in a major storm. Wishful thinking by someone I'm afraid.

[@ahaveland]

Absolutely incomparable use cases. Oil platforms are massive because they sit on the sea bed and have to be rigid to support thousands of tons of equipment. This tethered farm absorbs, captures, redirects and exports the energy which would otherwise try to destroy it - in a gale, better to be a willow than an oak!

[@SaveMoneySavethePlanet]

That’s part of why it’ll be nice to get a pilot location going soon. Need to get away from the marketing of “yea this’ll be awesome” and get towards the operations of “here is how my power generation and maintenance costs performed over the last quarter.”

[@williammeek4078]

The engineers say they solved it. What math did you do to come to your conclusion?

[@jimhood1202]

Location will be key. This doesn't appear to be tall enough for open ocean. I am intrigued by the wave power units though. This seems to be the real innovative part of the system. However I'd want to see a small free floating grid producing power to see how the software will handle keeping the platform floating and level while applying load to the generators. Bolting them to a harbour wall as we saw here only tests the generating units.

[@LivingProcess]

Brilliant as always love this idea it has a lot of potential 🌱🌎

[@JustHaveaThink]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@nickwarburton9273]

The design looks good, however regardless of the height of the structure (to some extent) I think the solar panels in a marine environment would inevitably get enough salt build up to drop the efficiency, the idea of using the platforms for fish farming activities would be a good use of space. Genuinely interested to see of this progresses.

[@kevinwillis6707]

i agree i dont think solar is feasible offshore, but it could be used on lakesand sheltered waterways, i think wildlife colonising would be an issue .

[@madpete6438]

@@kevinwillis6707 What about automated cleaning systems ? At least 1/2 the globe would benefit from the solar if the panels could be kept clean... I am sure it is possible to do.

[@mozismobile]

@@madpete6438 that adds another complex mechanical system that has to be maintained in a marine environment. There will need to be something, but it's a really interesting question what. But if it collects the guano and uses it somehow that would also help.

[@madpete6438]

@@mozismobile I got it ! Fresh water washdown like they use on those giant gin palaces (super yachts) ... minimise the moving parts ...

[@idea1407]

I would think someone would come up with a bot to clean the panels.

[@RP-mm9ie]

The design looks good,

[@suethomas7636]

Great example! I appreciate the self deprecating reflection - classic understated self confidence. Please keep an eye on this technology, given its state of development, a six month follow-up seems appropriate. You have covered enough technology that I would appreciate a follow-up episode, possible covering 2 or 3 technologies.

[@unvergebeneid]

It's always difficult to assess the economic viability of these projects from the outside, especially when the corrosive environment of the sea is involved but I really hope for this to work out!

[@matthewsaxe6383]

Excellent presentation of another interesting idea

[@JustHaveaThink]

Glad you liked it!

[@rogerbarton497]

Nice to see joined up thinking

[@varbaek]

Excellent video 🙂

[@JustHaveaThink]

Thank you very much!

[@karm65]

I think this would work for desalinization plants as well. in coastal cities where freshwater is in as high or higher demand than electric power. like off the coastline of southern california as well as islands.

[@tomo1168]

in california you have lot of burned down, south facing baron hills that can be used for solar for a fraction of the cost of an off-shore saltwater-resistant installation. for small islands with land scarcity probably a very good choise.

[@karm65]

@@tomo1168 That would require the environmentalist to allow the construction of the solar arrays. they would be torn between green energy and protecting the "natural endangered" landscape. With the EPA studies and multiball court cases, the cost would be staggering. Ware if you had a few islands of these floating a half-mile off the coast. You know out of sight out of mine.

[@karm65]

Not to mention that soler just works half the time at best you would lose the wave energy. Good luck getting EPA permission to install the wind turbines in those hills. They are known to kill wildlife and create noise pollution that disrupts the ecology.

[@AlanDeRossett]

@@karm65 none of what you say is true look at real-world installation

[@karm65]

@@AlanDeRossett Having actually worked in utility construction in California. I helped put in the fiber-optic trunk loops all across the U.S.. I can assure you my experience is based in the real world.

[@petrskapa793]

an excellent video and an interesting idea / new product.

[@andrewmullen4003]

Sweeeet. great idea to use the existing cabling and onshore connections, I hope it works as advertised.

[@michelney2915]

I just love it

[@kevinparis5772]

Very good

[@davidk7544]

The platform concept alone - sans any energy harvesting considerations - is already brilliant. Harvesting energy from such a platform - brilliant icing on that brilliant cake. My experience with any grade of aluminiumium (last bit of fun poking) in salt water would suggest to me, move on to stainless or resign selves to running a current through the structure. Or haul anchor on metals completely and graduate to pure plastics thinking. The amount of energy staring at humanity from every sq km is so staggeri ngly large, we'd be fools to not do everything possible to utilize it. I'm impressed at the steps this startup has taken and I wish them the best!

[@steveknight878]

On a slightly related note, I have frequently wondered why, instead of de-commissioning old oil rigs, we don't just install wind turbines and current turbines on them. I guess that there must be a good reason (or I haven't heard of examples).

[@ragerancher]

Probably because the area of the rig itself isn't that big and having to maintain a single turbine that far out would likely cost too much.

[@steveknight878]

@@ragerancher I guess that's true. Would you only get one turbine? How about underwater turbines and solar cells?

[@DanielASchaeffer]

The new strong-as-steel plastic from MIT is likely to have a huge impact on this design

[@Withnail1969]

Sure it will, it will be rolling out of factories any day now.

[@taejmundkur]

Very interesting and exciting technology. Hopefully this will help to resolve the power challenges for small island nations and other remote locations.

[@jaspertell3970]

I could see this as a nice off grid option if you own an island or lake, hybrid mooring for large yachts. Gives the super wealthy an eco option and helps to support the company. All they need now is energy storage.

[@FreekHoekstra]

This seemed pretty nice except the fact that the wind turbines are very small, and we all know that small wind turbines are in efficient. If they can find a way to attach properly size turbines (atleast 20m diameter but ideally much larger) then this could work though.

[@rethinkscience8454]

Sounds good

[@diamonddbw]

brilliant

[@sc20910]

Stunning out of the box thinking across an incredible array of aspects, including the concept of making its components fully transportable in a standard cargo container.

[@peteaulit]

I think you pretty much nailed it when saying “average age of 28 🤨” with the appropriate facial expression. We definitely need young bright people working on the future but they should be working with others that understand the potential consequences of their “great” ideas. Floating farms rejecting crap into the water. Shading killing the ecosystem beneath. “High enough to avoid salt-spraying”…? Yeah right!! If it’s on or near the water it’ll be coated with salt in no time. Just ask large ships workers. Platforms near islands used for storing goods in the middle of the ocean and all that with baraques and vehicles stored on them on perfectly calm waters… 🤔 Basically a bunch of people not thinking how we could make less of a mess in the first place but just making a different one by being part of the new problem we’re creating with the “all-electric world” we’re building. Workers on the Tower of Babel…

[@ps.2]

Yeah usually when you hear about an unconventional technology and the comments are full of "but what about ___" I like to think, maybe the people who have been studying and working on this thing for years know more about it than you who first heard of it 5 minutes ago. But... when Dave pointed out how young the whole staff is, I'm _not_ so inclined to give their wisdom and experience the benefit of the doubt.

[@peteaulit]

@@ps.2 they surely do know more about their stuff than we do and I would certainly hope so! My point is more in the sense that everyday someone gets a hard on about new tech but I haven’t seen one yet that makes us want and consume less… I read weekly engineering reports on various things in my field but rarely do I see that tech not only become reality but also be beneficial to us. It’s usually more about people with deep pockets hoping to get an ROI on some kids with an idea vs making our life better.

[@toldenfr]

very interesting

[@pauloquesado1439]

For the energy support of small islands (7:30) it could also be a good structure to work has a deep water docking port/marina to serve as temporary transfer dock/warehouse to then transfer goods back inland... Thank you for the great quality content

[@gefginn3699]

Great post my friend. Another angle on the donut-shaped polyethylene (?) floats would be to incorporate ocean plastic.... plastic waste in their construction. Peace. 😇🤩⛵

[@AdamBechtol]

Nice to have all 3.

[@johnwinfrey8722]

The area, witch is the Mid-Atlantic would be terrific. We have this in spades.

[@roseknows702]

I foresee problems once the waves get longer than the size of the platform, the larger the platform the higher the torsional loads across the total span. There will have to be a limit to how large a ridged span will be.

[@thomaschapple4749]

Electrlysing water and mechanical or robot cleaners might make a difference

[@davitdavid7165]

I think something like this will be more of a considiration in calmer waters already. I think windier and colder places like that will have to either abuse the wind and just use the turbines or maybe you could design a wind turbine with the wawe thing attached and no platform specifically for these places. The extra wind and wawe energy should compensate for the lack of solar or you could upscale the system sincw you dont have to worry about horrizontality to get more power.

[@lrvogt1257]

@@erdelegy : While each segment could be rigid, there could be flexibility built in between them.

[@NaumRusomarov]

if they're also designed for offshore wind, the platforms are probably already fairly small. they just have to make sure they're not moving too much, which can be a problem by itself.

[@unvergebeneid]

The video mentioned something about a maximum power output per island and all the concept art shows islands of limited size, so I'm guessing they are aware of this limitation.

[@snowstrobe]

As you say, if this works, it's a serious game changer...