Briefly, revisiting the series about reoxygenating the low oxygen/dead zones of the ocean with windmill power, (see primarily part 2 and 3), a revolving solar sail windmill (see this post) would involve brand new technology and might be better suited to a land based mount for stability. The idea was initially considering how to gather in smog filled air from a large urban region (downward/inward air flow), clean it, and blow it back out over a large urban region (upward/outward air flow). Combining both solar and wind power sources was for the goal of providing more continuous power during a range of weather conditions.
The series: 1. Oceans need oxygen, 2. Oxygenating the ocean's dead zone, 3. Non-traditional windmills can increase efficiency, 4. Upwelling tubes, hurricanes, and mussels. 5. Baking Soda to the rescue! - Yes really. 6. Supplementing the Ocean, 7. Mussels - Delicious and Sustainable. 8. The big picture of climate change is bigger than businesses may consider. 9. Inventions Occur in Stages. 10. Stacked Horizontal Turbines. 11. Air or Water Filters for Nanoparticles. The series in one document, minimal images, on Google-docs: (Oxygenating the Ocean).
For the purpose of reoxygenating the ocean a device that could float anchored to an ocean floor mount would be easier to establish than having to build a stand that reached the ocean floor. Wind power would blow over anything that isn't firmly enough mounted. The solar sail spinning effect would blow around in circles instead of tipping over but it would still need a stable base. Horizontal turbines designed for duct work could be designed to exhaust air downward within a double walled cylinder.
Stacked horizontal turbines within the center could take in air flow during windy conditions and instead of exhausting the air out the other side could instead direct it downward into the outer cavity of the double walled cylinder. Trees and other plant stems have upward and downward flowing channels for nutrients. Picture a tall stack of donuts. The horizontal turbines would be spinning within the center and the downward airflow would be exiting through the doughnut stack (children's toy visual aid).
Picture the tree trunk with a hole for a bird's nest at each level of the doughnut stack, with some bird's nest holes entering the central trunk from different directions, rotating around the trunk, from north, south, east and west, in order to catch the wind from any direction. Reverse flow valves would be needed to create a vacuum seal to the outer downward flow air chamber (the donuts) from the horizontally stacked turbines located in the center (where the doughnut hole or center post on the child's toy (children's toy visual aid) would be located).
With the invention of 3D printers it might be possible to make a complex turbine and double walled air funnel shape as the individual doughnut parts and then combine them in the vertical stack with openings for wind entry on different sides of the vertical stack. Hemp fiber is a sustainable material as the plant grows rapidly and in many environments. The fiber has some natural antimicrobial properties and has been combined with other ingredients to make insulation and structural fiberglass like building materials. Hemp/biocomposites, (LLC Real Hemp).
Keeping a structure ice free and preventing rain or ocean spray from filling the turbine areas would be needed. Height would help get the horizontal turbines up high enough to better catch wind and would keep them farther away from the spray of ocean waves. A metal structure could convert some of the wind power into heat to keep the units too warm for ice formation. That would not be possible with a hemp fiberglass construction. Weather sensors connected to sliding panels could detect ideal wind speed and level of precipitation and only open the turbines when conditions were within the ideal range.
The advantage of building the stack of horizontal turbines out of lightweight fiberglass would be the lightweight - it would not as much of a floating or grounded support at the base. A very lightweight structure could be more easily designed as a large floating buoy anchored to the ocean floor. Without the typical windmill blades the central trunk like cone shape would be more resistant to strong wind storms. Wind would just flow around the sides if sliding panels could close the turbine entrance areas.
Ideas start somewhere and may go in various directions from there - ___________!
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