Architects at Gottlieb Paludan have developed a new concept for producing and storing renewable energy, which they believe could even provide all the power for Denmark’s population. The idea is to create what they describe as a “Green Power Island” off the coast of Copenhagen, which would become an “energy super centre” for the country.
The massive man-made island would be accompanied by offshore wind farms, and populated with solar arrays and seawater pumps, and would produce marine biomass for biofuel. The clean energy output would then be stored using pumped hydro facilities, which involve pumping water from a the sea into an inland lagoon when wind power does not meet demand, turning turbines to generate power. When wind power rises, the lagoon will be allowed to drain ready for the next cycle.
The difference with conventional pumped storage systems that use two reservoirs at different heights is that only one “tank” has to be built. The new concept will also pump into the grid a remarkable 75% of the energy that was captured in the first round of energy gathering.
Covering almost three square miles, the island off Copenhagen will be linked with the Avedore Power Plant, another man-made island. It will be powered by a newarby offshore wind farm and would house an algae “plantation” to produce feedstock for biofuel production. A solar array – which could be the biggest in Scandinavia if built – would also be sited there.
As well as the man-made island, Gottlieb Paludan have suggested a few areas around the world where Green Power Islands could be built on existing islands. These include: the Florida Keys, Jiangsu in China, Manama in Baharain and Tamil Nadu in India.
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