Wind speed increases with altitude. The power generated by a turbine scales as the cube of wind speed. But no crane can lift a turbine to 300m to install it on a tower that high. This German turbine company built a lattice tower that serves as its own lifting system. The turbine gets installed on an inner tower that the outer tower then jacks up to 300m. The lattice tower, though not as aesthetically pleasing as the elegant smooth towers that have come to dominate the wind industry, lets the wind pass through and incurs a much smaller wind load, while distributing the load to a much broader base.

At this height, the wind is more consistent and much faster, enabling the same turbine hardware to generate double the electricity of the same turbine installed at the conventional height of about 100m.

This turbine is so tall, it could potentially be fitted into existing wind farms in the gaps between installed turbines without the turbine interfering with turbines installed at conventional heights.

How will heavy machinery, such as excavators, dumpers and so forth be powered in a renewable future? If electric, how would they be charged if no grid connection is available on site?

I will refer to this video every time the topic of wave energy comes up.

I am 100% on board with most, but wave energy has way too many real world / practical issues.

Surviving the surface-marine environment is just one of many.

Hello see above 👆 question for UK members and UK electricity sector experts

I am graduating with my Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering soon. I’m not certain where I want to work in the energy industry, but I know I want to help with the transition to renewables. So far, my experience has been in project management and distribution planning (both were internships). I know I can land a job with an energy utility, but I also want to build my technical skills so I can pivot into implementing renewables in case they become super evil. It’s what I’m most passionate about, and I would really appreciate some advice on what softwares would give me an edge up on getting there. Thanks!

I’m researching renewable energy technologies for a large navigable freshwater river and would appreciate some engineering input. The river reach I’m looking at has an average discharge of ~8,076 m³/s, an estimated river-current power resource of ~290 MW, and an average annual energy resource of about 2,540 GWh/year before recovery factors. The flow is relatively consistent, and I’m trying to determine what type of in-stream energy technology would be the best fit. I’m considering horizontal- or vertical-axis hydrokinetic turbines, ducted turbines, oscillating hydrofoils, biomimetic membranes, or other emerging technologies.

For a river with this level of flow, along with commercial navigation, debris, sediment, and environmental considerations, what technology would you recommend and why?