A versatile system for offshore energy conversion including diversified storage

Offshore applications allow to exploit different renewable energy sources (wave, wind, solar) that are complementary each other, due to their statistical yearly distributions. In this paper, we discuss an offshore platform for energy production from renewable energy sources coupled with three energy storage systems. The proposed offshore platforms uses a Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) to timely shift the electricity production from the demand. The performance of the system related to a north Tyrrhenian Sea location was evaluated by a simulation model developed integrating three different software packages (Matlab, EES, TRNSYS). The system was designed to produce 564 kWh on the 2 h a day where peak electricity demand takes place. The results showed that the system is able to produce 177,000 kWh per year. This offshore power plant is conceived for local users (tourist resorts, villages), especially if placed in small or medium islands, wishing to qualify for extensive use of renewable energy. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.