Floating Windfarms. An innovative renewable solution

Fast Company recently covered a fascinating new design proposal in Malta -- the development of floating windfarms.

The article further states that:

To catch up quickly, Malta is considering a proposal by the Swedish company Hexiconto build the world’s largest floating wind farm. It would consist of 36 turbines arranged around a 460-meter-wide platform, tethered to the ocean floor by cables. The proposed site for the platform is 11 nautical miles off the island’s northeast shore. It would be far enough away to take advantage of high ocean winds (and be more or less out of sight) yet close enough that it could be connected to the country’s electricity grid without too much trouble.

This is incredibly interesting and would be a fascinating proof-of-concept for renewable energy.

It must be pointed out however, that while this design is purported to have a capacity for 54MW, that is still some distance off coal -- averaging around 700MW; or nuclear -- averaging around 850MW.

Pay-as-you-go Electricity - Developing Markets

Another fascinating development we're tracking here at The Green Radar is that of Pay-as-you-go / "micro-supply" forms of energy.

SharedSolar is an incredibly interesting project in this regard, as Millenium Villages reports. Check it out.

"As part of the Millennium Villages project, in 2009 the Earth Institute’s Modi Research Group took up the challenge of how to bring electricity to rural villages in Africa. After analyzing the data and sociological constraints, the team arrived at an innovative solution to the problem: solar-powered micro-grids with prepaid metering and semi-automated, remote management. They called it SharedSolar: pay-as-you-go electricity via mobile telephony."

The Crystal - Another milestone in developing the Green Enterprise District in London

In 2010 London decided to launch a low carbon enterprise district in the East of London with the goal to serve as a role model example of sustainable urban development - and to also prove to the world, that it is possible to achieve growth in a sustainable way.

Electrical engineering company Siemens recently announced that their Siemens Urban Sustainability Center, a 30million Pound exhibition center in the heart of the Green Enterprise District, will open in the summer of 2012.

The Crystal, as the building will be called, will serve as permanent showcase for new sustainable technologies from around the globe and sight for educational learning as well as meeting point for city decision makers, planners and architects.

Besides, innovative features of the building include the use of recycled steel, photovoltaic panels, energy efficient lighting, rainwater harvesting, ground source heat pumps and many more.

The involvement of Wilkinson Eyre Architects, which are renowned for bringing together sustainable architecture with cutting edge design, is adding to the fact that there might be yet another reason besides the Olympic Games to visit London this summer.

Picture provided by Siemens