Imagine building a wind turbine on land, floating it out to sea, and simply anchoring it in place—no heavy cranes, no giant ships, and no complicated setups. That’s exactly what a company called T-Omega Wind is working on with its brand-new floating wind turbine shaped like a pyramid.
And now, after testing it in wave tanks, they’ve officially launched their first real-world prototype.
Why the Pyramid Shape?
Most offshore wind turbines today are just modified land-based towers stuck in the ocean. They need massive underwater supports—up to four times the weight of everything above water—just to stay upright. That makes them expensive and difficult to build, transport, and maintain.
T-Omega’s design changes everything.
Instead of one tall tower, this turbine uses four angled arms connected to a floating pyramid base. The wind turbine itself spins on an axle held up from both ends, more like a bicycle wheel than a pinwheel. And the whole thing is tethered to the sea floor loosely enough to move with the wind, always facing the right direction for maximum power.
This smart floating design means:
- Less material is needed
- It’s easier and cheaper to build
- You can tow it out to sea and tow it back for repairs
- There’s no need for huge ships or cranes to install or maintain it
- Cheaper Power, Simpler Setup
T-Omega believes their turbine could bring down the cost of offshore wind power significantly. They’re aiming for $50 per megawatt-hour, which would make it just as affordable as the best traditional offshore wind systems—but with far fewer hassles.
And because it’s built mostly onshore, all the manufacturing and assembly can happen in regular shipyards and ports. That’s good news for local economies and jobs too.
Testing the Waters
The first full test at sea is now underway near New Bedford, Massachusetts. The current version is a 1/16th scale prototype, but it’s a big step forward from their lab testing. In those earlier tests, the turbine stayed upright even in simulated waves as high as 30 meters (nearly 100 feet).
If everything goes well, the full-size version will be massive—about 650 feet across the blades and standing on a 390-foot-high pyramid. It would produce 10 megawatts of energy, enough to power thousands of homes.
What’s Next?
T-Omega says this design could help the U.S. and other countries hit their clean energy goals by 2030. They’re hoping to roll out full-scale versions soon and show the world that offshore wind power doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult.
As the company’s CEO, Brita Formato, puts it: “Our technology solves most of the current challenges in an elegant and cost-effective way.”
If successful, this floating pyramid could bring wind energy to places where it’s currently too hard or too expensive to build.
Source: https://www.einpresswire.com/article/673135192/t-omega-wind-prototype-d…
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