Alex Michaelis Envisions Creation of Multiple "Energy Islands" to Supply Planet's Resources
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles 
on 01. 8.08
Image courtesy of msalib
Now we're all for creative, ambitious proposals to tackle global warming here at TreeHugger - so long as they're (fairly) grounded in reality. That's why we can't help but think that Alex Michaelis' latest proposal - though clearly befitting the whole "vision" thing - may be a tad out there. Michaelis, the London-based architect who famously decided to build his eco-home underground (and who gave David Cameron's home a green makeover), has sketched out a concept for the creation of archipelagos of artificial islands in the warm waters of the south China Sea and Indian Ocean that would supply energy, clean water and food.
The eco-minded architect is hoping to secure the $25m of funding from Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Earth Prize with these so-called "energy islands." The floating platforms on which the islands would be built would use the ocean's water and thermal energy at their core to produce electricity and drinking water; underwater turbines would harness the energy from currents while floating devices along the edge would harness the wave power.
"Each energy island would operate in a similar way to an oil rig, with about 25 people living there to operate the energy systems and food farms. Teams of workers would spend six weeks on the island and six weeks off. The islands can be linked together so if you wanted a bigger power output you could simply build a bigger settlement. In the future these energy islands could be linked together to become eco-tourism attractions," said Michaelis.
Michaelis predicts that each island will generate about 250 MW; his father, Dominic, who is helping him with the project, believes it will be extremely difficult, but not impossible: "If we consider that we are at war to find a new form of clean energy, wartime effort in world war two produced vast numbers of planes, tanks, ships and other armaments on both warring sides. 20,300 Spitfires alone were built, making the construction of more than 50,000 of these plants seem a reasonable number."
The islands' inhabitants would be able to farm seafood in small pens below deck and to grow vegetables in shaded areas on the platform using some of the desalinated water produced by the plants in the platforms' cores - which Michaelis estimates will be around 300,000 liters, daily. He and his father plan on conducting a pilot in the waters off the British Virgin Islands or in the Indian Ocean over the coming year.
Given that many of the aforementioned technologies are already in place - or easy to deploy across much of the world - Michaelis' concept seems like too expensive and overwrought a plan for us to really consider at this point.
Via ::Guardian Unlimited: Energy islands could use power of tropics, says innovator (news website)
See also: ::Eco-Home Chic: Michaelis House, ::Update: Alex Michaelis' Underground Green House
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I just love how some people think energy is free if you just collect it. Any energy collected was already being fed into the planetary circuit. Whether is warmed a tidal pool or zapped some primordial soup, if you take it away, there will be an equal and opposite effect against something else. Sustainable living is finding solutions that do not adversely affect ANY of our life-sustaining needs, which obviously includes the environment. And if we are really really good at it, we can prevent disasters from happening to the other inhabitants of out planet, which make it such an enjoyable world to experience. Is that part of his water-world plan? Or is he just drawing pretty pictures? This idea would make a good fiction novel though, where reality doesn't matter.
"Alex Michaelis' latest proposal - though clearly befitting the whole "vision" thing - may be a tad out there."
@Anonymous
I think more than one person is a tad out there :)
but I like it
What about the aquatic life were these turbines will be. Wind turbines in the western US kill birds, what affect will these underwater turbines have on the aquatic life?
I love the idea and there is a man in Mexico that has found an inexpensive method to build raft islands.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiral_Island I have been looking in to using plastic barrel rafts (20' X 40') with
undershot water wheels to produce clean cheap energy. Since the rafts are
cheap to build and very safe they would make great 'off the grid'
homesteads. With a garden on the roof the homesteads would be self
sufficient.
I plan to hook the rafts together four wide and two deep making the island
an 80' square that will safely carry 192 tons. Since the locks on the
Mississippi are 110' wide and 600 feet long the island would not need to be
separated to go through the locks.
There are thousands of rivers that would produce enough energy to power the
water wheels. Anyone with even limited skills and hand tools can build the
rafts. Every time someone becomes self sufficient the 'powers that be' lose
some of their power. When everyone is self sufficient the 'powers that be'
will either have to work or starve.
You can visit our website at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/riverats/ and
download the plans and information.
"though clearly befitting the whole "vision" thing - may be a tad out there."
putting a human into space, then on the moon....was....."out there" too, no?
What happens in 20 years when the water levels rise and the island is under water?
their islands - the float higher.
the idea would make a good movie, too.
it's also a very interesting idea, and while it may not yet be completely feasable, it merits further study.
there is no way at all to make no impact on the environment - when you take a breath, you impact the environment, and when you stop breathing, your decaying corpse will impact the environment.
wind turbines kill a lot less birds than people think, just as something like this will kill a lot less aquatic life than people think.
Yes, the idea would make a great movie!