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Oceanic wind turbines

 inc. use of deep ocean trenches to streamline hydrogen economy
 
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A lot of people are talking about moving to a hydrogen economy. Generally it'd probably be a good thing as long as the hydrogen isn't generated from fossil fuels (leaving effects of hydrogen lost to the atmosphere aside as an unknown.)

So the idea is to base wind turbines far out to sea where there's no locals to complain about how unsightly they are (although I think they look pretty good,) anchor them to the ocean floor with cables and potentially add wave power generators. The electricty generated could be run through a cable to the ocean floor where electrolysis generates hydrogen at the surrounding water pressure negating the need for compressors. That high pressure hydrogen can then be shipped to where it's needed.

Obvioulsy there might not currently be a viable business plan, however with rising oil prices it's got to be viable in the pretty near future.

—scubadooper, Jul 20 2004

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       I'm pretty sure this is thoroughly baked. <edit> I misread this idea. I recind the nature of that remark and move into a comfy [+-] </e>
—contracts, Jul 20 2004
   

       I like the compressor though.
—david_scothern, Jul 20 2004
   

       Not sure that the compressor would really be very practical. If it were realistically more effective than a straight electricity powered compressor I think people would have tried to make use of it. I suspect that the machine to produce the hydrogen would require mainenance. I can't see this improving on the current offshore Windfarms. And in Norway they even have underwater turbines shaped like aerogenerators.   

       Very Baked. Can't even be bothered to type any more. [M-F-D]
—PainOCommonSense, Jul 20 2004
   

       I can't imagine a compressor being more efficient, it's probably not been used as Hydrogen generation isn't currently a major industry.   

       Maintenance should be negligible as it's only a couple of electrodes attached to a cable with a container over the generated hydrogen, ROVs are more than capable of providing all the neccessary maintenance.   

       Countries such as the UK have a bureacratic problem with off-shore wind farms, in international waters there's no one to complain about them. Vast farms can be developed far offshore with cost efficiencies from scale.
—scubadooper, Jul 20 2004
   

       Make the cables retractable, thus prevent destruction of the turbines by submersing them.
—scubadooper, Jul 20 2004
   


 

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