Alternative Energy/Innovations in Wind, Solar and Tidal
Innovation in Wind
- Where in Wind innovation is happening and what is fostering it?
Wind power is a mature technology. The field of onshore wind power has slowed in development and barrier to innovation largely remain at the development stage due to complex public policy and permitting involved with constructing power plants based on wind technologies. The field of offshore is a faster growing and more innovative field than onshore wind. Developments in adjustable blade angle and composite technologies have been crucial to the development of near shore wind. Deep water wind is the most experimental area of wind. Deep water installations take advantage of powerful winds and avoid NIMBY problems but they also require sophisticated moorings which are currently being developed and tested (LINK TO THE WORK OF WALK MUSIAL HERE). Another advantage of offshore is that it allows the turbines to be larger due to fewer transportation limits. The larger turbines are more economical. "Reliability problems and turbine shortages have discouraged early boom in development."
Innovation in Solar
- Where in Solar innovation is happening and what is fostering it?
Innovation in Tidal
- Where in Tidal innovation is happening and what is fostering it?
Wave energy devices are highly diverse. There are many patents in this area, fewer concepts being tested at the laboratory level, very few working prototypes, and no commercial scale projects in operation, (Malter Musial of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory speaking at the Power of the Gulf Conference June 12, 2008 in Northport, Maine)