SeaTwirl is a
vertical floating wind turbine
A floating wind turbine is an offshore wind turbine mounted on a floating structure that allows the turbine to generate electricity in water depths where fixed-foundation turbines are not economically feasible. Floating wind farms have the poten ...
that was tested off the west coast of
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
in 2011. It is also the name of the company that produces the turbine.
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History
The design was developed by Daniel Ehrnberg.[Lars Anders Karlberg]
"TV: Vindkraft med svänghjul ger mer el"
NyTeknik 9 September 2011, retrieved 27 September 2011 Chalmers University of Technology
Chalmers University of Technology (, commonly referred to as Chalmers) is a private university, private research university located in Gothenburg, Sweden. Chalmers focuses on engineering and science, but more broadly it also conducts research ...
built a prototype
A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototype ...
["Sea Twirl - A New Type of Off Shore Wind Turbine"]
Applied Physics, Chalmers University of Technology
Chalmers University of Technology (, commonly referred to as Chalmers) is a private university, private research university located in Gothenburg, Sweden. Chalmers focuses on engineering and science, but more broadly it also conducts research ...
, 11 November 2010, retrieved 26 September 2011 and tested it at SSPA.[Tests performed at SSPA]
SeaTwirl, 13 June 2011, retrieved 26 September 2011. A 30 kW (1/50 scale)[Ben Coxworth]
"SeaTwirl puts a new spin on offshore wind turbines"
GizMag, 27 September 2011, retrieved 27 March 2012. third-generation anchored prototype rising 3 m above the water and reaching 7 m deep[ was installed off the west coast of Sweden near ]Halmstad
Halmstad () is a port, university, industrial and recreational urban areas of Sweden, city at the mouth of the Nissan (river), Nissan river, in the provinces of Sweden, province of Halland on the Sweden, Swedish west coast. Halmstad is the seat ...
in August 2011,[Prototype III]
, SeaTwirl, retrieved 26 September 2011. tested successfully[Floating offshore wind foundations]
, Main(e) International Consulting LLC, retrieved 27 March 2012. and de-commissioned.[Justin Wilkes ''et al''.]
"The European offshore wind industry key 2011 trends and statistics"
European Wind Energy Association
WindEurope is an association promoting the use of wind power in Europe. Based in Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communiti ...
, p. 5 (pdf), January 2012, retrieved 26 March 2012. In 2022, Norway granted concession to install a 1 MW prototype in the Boknafjord.
Design
SeaTwirl has a vertical axis, with blades above water and the generator below. It is one of several[ designs that can float and therefore be positioned far offshore and take advantage of the stronger winds there. The SeaTwirl design uses the ]seawater
Seawater, or sea water, is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% (35 g/L, 35 ppt, 600 mM). This means that every kilogram (roughly one liter by volume) of seawater has approximat ...
itself as a roller bearing and stores energy in a water-filled torus. The company intends to use the design to enable the use of cheaper and heavier materials to lower the cost below conventional turbines and generate energy even when the wind is not blowing.[SeaTwirl]
, Startups, CleanIndex, retrieved 26 September 2011.Startups och expansionsbolag inom STING-sfären
STING (Stockholm Innovation & Growth AB), 2010, retrieved 27 September 2011 [
]
See also
*Renewable energy
Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...
References
External links
* {{Official website, 1=http://www.seatwirl.com
SeaTwirl
Ehrnberg Solutions AB, 12 September 2011 (pdf)
Vertical axis wind turbines
Offshore wind farms