Using offshore wind technology for large-scale cooling applications

Abstract

A system which makes use of offshore wind energy to directly provide large-scale cooling through the exploitation of cold deep seawater below the thermocline is proposed. This system is composed of a hydraulic wind turbine directly coupled to an air cycle machine. A 4-year case study of this conceptual system operating in a central Mediterranean region was carried out, with results showing that such system could operate efficiently during instances of high cooling demands. In fact, it was established that during such instances, the proposed system could lead to an increased cooling capacity when compared to conventional refrigerant-based chillers operated with surface seawater.