Can Wind Energy Be Stored?

Question

I'm doing a project where I have to design a "Green" Cruise Ship. I thought it would be cool if my ship ran off of wind energy. I want to create a port where there is a wind farm that my ship would visit every couple weeks....so is it possible to fuel a Cruise Ship with wind like you would gas? Can you store wind power?

Answer 1

To store the mechanical energy from wind, different solutions are possible:

- chemical storage (battery or generation of fuels such as hydrogen with the electricity)

- storage as a potential energy (e.g. generated electricity and use it to pump water in a higher dam so that it can flow again down through turbines and generate again electricity)

- storage as heat or pressure which can be used to run a turbine afterwards

- storage as mechanical energy (e.g. very fast rotating large steel cyclinder at 100 000 rotations per second... on magnetic bearings)

Answer 2

Let me start off by saying we (my family and I) live completely, 100% “off of the grid and are completely self sufficient”

There are no utility lines, no water lines, no roads, tv, cell service, etc. on our ranch. EVERYTHING needed is produced here. All electricity comes from 27 solar panels, 2 main wind gens and a back hydrogen generator if needed (typically we can last 9 days with all luxuries of sunless windless weather, hasn't happened yet). Water is caught and storaged from the rain. Hot water is made with solar batch water heaters with an on-demand hydrogen hot water heater as backup. solar chimney, solar AC, solar heating, solar water heating (pool and home), solar stove, solar power, wind power, hydrogen powered back up generator, hydrogen back up water heater, hydrogen stove, 2 hydrogen powered trucks, 1 EV (electric vehicle) and satellite internet. Even our vehicles use alternative energy (2 hydrogen trucks, 1 EV electric vehicle converted). Because of this we have no bills, no debt and no mortgage.

Anyone interested can check it out at..

www agua-luna com

Electricity from the wind is one of the simplest forms of alternative energy. i've personally built over a dozen wind gens and currently run all my electrical needs off of 2 wind turbines and a couple dozen home made solar panels.

Basically think of the little motor in your car (the alternator), but insted of it being turned by a belt driven by your car's engine powerd gas, it's turned by the wind.

I offer a step by step DIY guide to walk anyone interested threw the process. You can find it at www agua-luna com or you can email me.

The fallowing steps were taking directly out of a DIY guide I offer to those who would like to run their homes on wind power safely, reducing their monthly utility bills or even selling power back the the electrical companies. The entire guide is available at www agua-luna com

"This manual is based on using a 260 VDC, 5 A continuous duty Treadmill Motor with a 6 inch threaded hub. These motors are available for under $50 from most motor surplus stores. We are getting about 7 amps in a 30 mph wind. In other words, it is a simple, cheap little machine to get you started.  "

"ASSEMBLY

1. Place the motor on top of the square tubing and bolt it in, using the two 5/16” x ¾” bolts.

2. Place the diode on the square tubing, about 2” behind the motor, and s***w it into position using the self-tapping metal s***w.

3. Connect the black wire coming out of the motor to the positive incoming terminal of the diode (Labeled AC on the positive side).

4. Connect the red wire coming out of the motor to the negative incoming terminal of the diode (Labeled AC on the negative side).

5. Center the tail over the square tubing, at the back end. Clamp your tail onto the side of the square tubing.

6. Using 2 self-tapping screws, s***w the tail in place.

7. Place each blade on the hub so that all the holes line up.  Using the ¼" bolts and washers, bolt the blades to the hub.  For the inner three holes, use two washers per bolt, one on each side of the blade. For the outer three holes, just use one washer next to the head of the bolt. Tighten.

8. Hold the end of the shaft of the motor (which comes through the hub) firmly with pliers, and turn the hub counterclockwise until it tightens and stops.

9. s***w the nipple tightly into the floor flange using a pipe wrench.

10. Clamp the nipple in a vice so that the floor flange is facing up and level.

11. Place the square tubing (and everything that is on it) on top of the floor flange and move it so that it is perfectly balanced.

12. Through the holes of the floor flange, mark the square tubing at the point of balance.

13. Drill these two holes using a 5/32" drill bit. You will probably have to take off the hub and tail to do this).

14. Attach the square tubing to the floor flange with two sheet metal screws.

For a longer life span of your wind generator, you should paint the blades, motor sleeve, mount and tail."

www agua-luna com

Hope this helped, feel free to contact me personally if you have any questions if you’d like assistance in making your first self sufficient steps, I’m willing to walk you step by step threw the process. I’ve written several how-to DIY guides available at  www agua-luna com on the subject. I also offer online and on-site workshops, seminars and internships to help others help the environment.

Dan Martin

Alterative Energy / Sustainable Consultant, Living 100% on Alternative & Author of How One Simple Yet Incredibly Powerful Resource Is Transforming The Lives of Regular People From All Over The World... Instantly Elevating Their Income & Lowering Their Debt, While Saving The Environment by Using FREE ENERGY... All With Just One Click of A Mouse...For more info Visit:  

www AGUA-LUNA com

Stop Global Warming,

Answer 3

The best way to store wind energy is in batteries, but the problem with that is you're taking up some of the ship's cargo space and making it heavier.

Another option people are now trying is to use giant kite/sails to help power large ships:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/12/...

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/03/...

Maybe you could suggest a combination of the two (batteries charged by wind turbines and kite/sails).

Answer 4

Your question is innocent enough but, you squash the spirit of the high-seas! The world is a very big place and 90% is yet to be fully explored. I understand your fervent base but, dreams are not always what they seem. Start with solar power and tidal rythems and even some rare biological events-add to this , the currently known atlantic gulf-stream circulation. In the future, you are certainly a solid knowledge. Take certain that you preserve you for a better future for all.

Answer 5

yes wind power can be stored in batteries however for a green ship i would think of wind to power it ie wind mill driven or sail with solar panels or wind turbines to operate the electrical systems

it would not be very practical to have batteries as a means of power

Answer 6

Rosie O'Donnell seems to have a lot of it stored.

Answer 7

Yes you can, as Nickel pointed out. However, getting it to the ship is difficult. Best for the environment is likely simply delivering the wind energy to the powernet and tapping from it too. But of course, that doesn't give you a "green ship". For that, I'd say fitting the ship with batteries. Hydrogen stores energy well too, but the major drawback is that the process of making hydrogen is extremely inefficient. Batteries don't have that problem. You could charge the batteries with the wind energy directly, and store the excess in batteries on land, flywheels, or give it to the powernet.

Another option is to make a sailing ship. There is actually research going for a big ship fitted with a "parachute" for propulsion already! :)

Answer 8

by compresing we can store wind power

         we can use this power by generating warm aria and cool area.

Answer 9

Umm...Sails? You're talking about wind power and a ship and no one has mentioned sails?

Wind energy can be stored, but only in the same limited capacity as any other electricity  can be stored. Batteries are one option, electrolysis of water into hydrogen is another.

But really, you've got a boat, step one would be to slap on some sails. Step two would be to harness the constant energy provided by the tides that is going to be easily accessible from your "port".

Answer 10

You would need lots of batteries or some kind of hydrogen generator and fuel cell set up.  I am not an electrical engineer but I imagine that it would take up most of the room on the ship.  There have been a few very large sailing yachts built.

Answer 11

Use one of these units

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superconduc...

They have some big ones built and operating already

Answer 12

Before you break it or after? Methane rules!

Answer 13

Of course same way as solar energy or water turbines in batteries

Answer 14

I store a lot of wind in tummy will that help