Out with the old, in with the new

One of the submissions for the Radical Innovation in Hospitality design competition really got my imagination going. The idea was to change an unused oil rig into a resort and spa powered by renewable energy sources. Inhabitat has the full description of the structure and the alternative energy ideas.

But I thought, why stop there? If it is possible to convert an unused oil rig to a self sustaining structure, why not work to make it an energy generating structure? If you didn't make the platform a resort but a small town that existed only to house the personnel required to service the equipment and support the workers then it should start out with a small output.

On top of that if you focused on making the available external energy producing areas as efficient as possible (4 wind turbines instead of one, as many high gain solar panels or Sterling engines as possible) and using the area around the rig for as many wave action energy generators as is feasible there should be significant energy output. If you add in some of the ocean current turbines that are currently being tested in Europe there is the possibility of not only testing a large number of renewable energy sources in real world conditions but also of producing a significant amount of energy per platform converted.

The two major obstacles to this being effective as an energy generation program for consumer consumption are means of delivery of the surplus energy and the regular storm season in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Hurricane issue is already a factor for active oil rigs and would have to be similar for any fixed platform in the gulf. There would have to be a way to secure the equipment prior to a storm strike, which may limit the amount of energy producing equipment that can be deployed at a single location. It would also mean an interruption in services that is unpredictable but could be mitigated by having a large number of functioning platforms spread all along the coast.

Means of delivery all depends on how the energy generated is intended to be used. Tankers are used to carry the oil but unless an extremely efficient flywheel system or other energy storage system is developed direct electricity transportation may not be feasible. New power lines could be run but may not be cost effective in particular for platforms that are far off shore. However if the electricity generated is used to create Hydrogen fuel that could be transported with relatively little modification to current natural gas tankers.

I am amused by the idea of old oil platforms being used to generate the fuel of tomorrows vehicles. It feels like a fitting rebirth for existing infrastructure.