AWARD YEAR
2017
CATEGORY
Community
GOALS
Affordable & Clean Energy
KEYWORDS
wind energy, new technology
COUNTRY
United States of America
DESIGNED BY
Jennifer Baird, CEO and Dawn White, PhD, President/CTO - Accio Energy
WEBSITE
http://www.accioenergy.com
Accio Energy
Offshore wind energy system combines sea water and wind to create electricity
An energy start-up company called Accio Energy thinks it has a solution to that problem, one that will generate as much if not more energy from offshore wind than a traditional wind turbine, but at half the cost. There are no moving parts, instead Accio's technology consists of large permeable panels on masts that let the ocean winds blow right through.
The technology behind the wind energy generators is unique. The panels emit a fine mist of positively-charged sea water droplets. When the wind blows through them, it separates positive and negative charges as it moves the mist, which builds up to an almost 200,000 volt direct electric current that the system transmits through a high voltage cable back to the electrical grid on land.
Accio believes that the systems can achieve unsubsidized cost parity with coal and natural gas, which would make offshore wind generation with EHD the cheapest energy option for most of the world.