Comments on: Floating Solar Island Concept

By: Disnei

Disnei — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:16:23 +0000

Did you developed the floating cell to work on pool ?

By: Ray

Ray — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 06:33:30 +0000

Congatulations. Your the first person to invest in making a film about a concept that first hit the press over 50 years ago!!
Just saying that its not an original concept.
But I still like it!!
I also have similar plans for a floating array to be built here in Australia.
Just cant get the funding!!

Good luck.

By: chris

chris — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 08:32:54 +0000

When the steam is pumped through pipes in the ocean to the turbines, won’t a lot of it condense?

I wonder how less effective solar cells would be?

By: Sebastian

Sebastian — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:27:10 +0000

I agree with everyone else that this idea has a lot of holes, but non of them are insurmountable. I could think of a solution for every problem listed so I’m pretty sure a couple hundred engineers already have a pretty good idea on how to get this idea afloat.

By: shankarvodela

shankarvodela — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:42:41 +0000

I feel proud as I am part of UAE residential Solar islands are going to start in RAK, God bless the Ruler of RAK for taking initiative and I am sure others will follow. A great breakthrough in Electricity generation in UAE.

Dr.Shankar

By: Ethan T

Ethan T — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 01:39:17 +0000

I also agree with Edgar on the point that transferring the steam underwater would significantly reduce the pressure of the steam.
However, I also had a question on solar panels in general. Is it possible to have a field of solar panels producing electricity within the panels(solar cells) while, at the same time, reflecting the sunlight on a pipe (like above) vaporizing the water into pressurized steam? Resulting in two systems working off one field of solar panels?

By: David Adams

David Adams — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 18:10:38 +0000

I have an idea that is a similar and could work in conjunction with this project. I would appreciate being able to talk to someone in control of the floating solar pad.

By: Edgar

Edgar — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 05:36:08 +0000

There’s a lot of negatives…

1) Corrosion, not just from the salt and water, also bio corrosion from bacterias and microorganisms.

2) The ocean is not a flat surface that stands still the tubing will not stand a lot of movement.

3) Heat transfer. The ocean is a lot colder than the steam so if the steam looses heat it can change phase, so you’ll loose the high entalpy steam, and in the worst case if the temp lowers you’ll loose pressure which could be less than the pressure of the column of water above the tube and collapse…

Solution by me: I don’t really see the point of putting money into this, really, I’ll put it in a large dry salt lake/dessert where heat is free and sunlight is just the same

By: Manaf

Manaf — Tue, 27 May 2008 03:23:18 +0000

Great Concept. The structures could be flexible and built in calm gulf regions where hurricanes don’t usually occur. What about the marine life under these structures which will get no sunlight, I assume.

By: Bob Wallace

Bob Wallace — Mon, 26 May 2008 15:28:02 +0000

Another design by someone who hasn’t gotten their power from solar and doesn’t understand alignment and cleaning.

And by someone who hasn’t spent appreciable time living on the ocean and doesn’t understand wind, waves, and salt corrosion.

By: Mister Chandu

Mister Chandu — Mon, 26 May 2008 04:17:28 +0000

Solar Islands float because the Sun is pure,
And we know what else floats to be sure!

Katrina type storms would sink these.

Think tidal!