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144 comments on Solar Islands: A new concept for low-cost solar energy at very large scale
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Guessing the islands will float just offshore and will be grid-connected by underwater cable. I'd be a little concerned about seaworthiness. Big waves could mess things up. Otherwise, very cool idea.
LoL Ya think?
Wonder what a tsunami would do to a floating "solar island"?
If they are out at sea, probably not a lot. Tsunamis are only a problem when they come to shore. Offshore the wave height may only be inches.
Yeah, but I was responding to Barrett808's post where he said that he guessed that the contraptions "will float just offshore." On the open ocean tsunamis wouldn't be much of a problem; regular ole wind-churned waves would be quite sufficient to wreck a "solar island."
I'd be much more concerned about hurricanes. For example, I don't think anything like this could be done off the Atlantic shoreline. The Pacific would probably be okay, though.
Kinda depends on where it is floating. If your are far enough out at sea, and we're not talking hundreds of miles you might barely notice a tsumani passing by that could easily devastate a coastal village when it makes landfall. However a cat five hurricane might be another matter entirely.
Having worked as a deep sea diver on oil rigs in the past and currently living in the greater Miami area I have a pretty healthy respect for the forces one might encounter out there on the great oceans of the world. Then again if you could sail these islands out of harms way given enough warning it might not be such a bad idea. I would love to see something like that kite surfing out in the ocean.