In recent years, large European countries have been actively exploring the direction of alternative energy in order to reduce dependence on thermal power plants. And the Norwegian company Wind Catching Systems, which specializes in advanced wind farms, yesterday, February 10, announced a very important event in this direction – the startup management received funding from the state company ENOVA to build a huge floating “wall” with many turbines that generate electricity under powerful air flow. If the project is implemented and it proves its effectiveness, then in the future there will be a lot of such “walls”.
Instead of building one huge turbine with four blades, Wind Catching Systems said they plan to build a wall that will hold 150 turbines with rotors 30 meters in diameter. As a result, this design will be taller than the Eiffel Tower, while each individual turbine is able to generate a lot of electricity, providing a bonus in the form of more affordable maintenance. The fact is that replacing one small turbine or its blades is easier, faster and cheaper than servicing a huge wind turbine in rather harsh conditions.
Back in October last year, the state company ENOVA allocated $2.1 million for the creation of a floating power plant, and now the second tranche of $900,000 has been received. Accordingly, now Wind Catching Systems engineers have all the necessary funds to build a pilot power plant with a huge number of turbines – if the plans are not violated, the novelty should appear on the west coast of Norway before the end of this year. Unfortunately, the manufacturer does not talk about the final capacity of the wind farm, so it is not possible to assess the payback of such a project now.
However, if General Motors and North Energy ASA have already invested in a relatively young startup, it can be assumed that the project has a chance to displace the usual wind farms, at least in Norway. The fact is that due to the peculiarities of climatic conditions and very strong winds on the west coast, it is very expensive to maintain and dispose of “windmills”, while a 320-meter-high wall with a large number of components can be easily disassembled into parts if necessary. It remains only to assemble this gigantic structure and see if it was worth the resources and time spent.
Source: Trash Box
I’m Meagan Diaz, a news writer and author at World Stock Market. My main focus is on technology and stock market trends, and I’m passionate about helping readers stay informed on the ever-changing landscape. I bring extensive knowledge of the industry to my work as well as a knack for storytelling that makes my articles both accessible and engaging.
