The Possibility of Embracing Typhoons for Ultimate Wind Power

Typhoons are full of mysteries. Designing starts with understanding typhoons.

It seems quite simple. With this, it looks like it could be made quickly.

“Once the design is decided, I don’t think making it is technically difficult. However, if you don’t understand typhoons, you cannot determine the design.”

Each typhoon has its own personality. Some move slowly like Typhoon No. 7 this time, while others pass through in an instant. Some have a short lifespan, while others disappear quickly. Currently, the path and strength can be predicted with some accuracy, but there is still much that is unknown.

“To properly operate a ship, we need to understand not only the wind but also the state of the waves. However, there is almost no data on what is happening beneath the sea surface during a typhoon.”

Typhoon power generation ships operate outside the typhoon’s storm zone. Data is needed on how to navigate efficiently to catch the wind. However, even though the central pressure and strength of a typhoon are known, the conditions of specific parts of the typhoon are mostly unknown.

“We need to know how strong the wind will be and what the sea surface will be like. Without this information, we cannot determine what kind of ship to build. You cannot design without understanding typhoons.”

Associate Professor Mitsuyuki’s specialty is ship system design. For a ship expert, it is natural to escape from a typhoon. The idea of heading into a typhoon is unimaginable. Although he became involved with the Typhoon Power Generation Development Lab by chance, he would never have considered operating a ship in a typhoon to generate power if it weren’t for this opportunity.

At the Typhoon Science and Technology Research Center, various studies are being conducted on typhoons, including the relationship between the birthplace of a typhoon and its path, and where typhoons with longer lifespans are born.

“It is precisely here that we can create a typhoon power generation ship. I hope to build a prototype ship within the next 10 years so that it can be socially implemented by 2050.”

 

Because it’s a ship, it can also deliver electricity to areas affected by typhoons.

The typhoon power generation ship, capable of operating anywhere, has a vision for its use. Associate Professor Mitsuyuki envisions delivering electricity to areas affected by typhoons and experiencing power outages.

“The greatest feature of the typhoon power generation ship is its mobility. To make the most of this advantage, I believe it is best to use it in disaster-stricken areas,” says Mitsuyuki.

By connecting a cable from the ship’s battery storage, it can provide power. If there are no affected areas, it could store electricity at offshore wind power plants. ‘We are already in an era where we must use the environment to sustain our lives. It would be great if this could become one of the options,’ says Associate Professor Mitsuyuki.

Further expanding the dream,

“I am also considering that it might be possible to go all the way to the Philippines, where typhoons occur, and supply the electricity generated there to countries in need. I believe we should deliver electricity to places in trouble without considering national borders. That is how it should be,” says Mitsuyuki.

Taiga Mitsuyuki, Lab Head of the Typhoon Power Generation Development Lab at the Typhoon Science and Technology Research Center, Yokohama National University Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. At the Marine Systems Design Engineering Laboratory, he is involved in ship design and system development, as well as research on concrete floating offshore wind power systems and efforts toward realizing typhoon power generation ships.