LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Two Maltese engineers have managed to create a system to store energy so that the electricity generated from wind farms at sea can be more efficient. This project is among the inventions which have a chance to win a prize in the European Inventor Awards which for the first time will be hosted by Malta on July, 9. According to the European Environmental Agency, in the last 40 years more than 85,000 people have died around Europe as a result of climate change. Daniel Buhagiar, the student who developed this system, said that there are countries such as the UK, France and Germany which already utilise large wind farms. “Our challenge was to come up with a system which works like a battery, you give it energy and it gives it back without using new processes which in this environment are never used, as that would be very difficult”. He explained how, contrary to other countries such as the Netherlands, the Mediterranean Sea is deeper and therefore technology known as “floating winds” needs to be used; these turbines are tied up like a ship when it is anchored. The way it works is that it uses the electricity which it needs which is stored in order for the pump to work, it then pushes the liquid, which can be sea water, which eventually arrives inside a tank.
Professor Tonio Sant from the University of Malta said that in this way , energy is stored in the form of compressed air which is being stored at sea. He said this is a great advantage for Malta because apart from not needing space on land, one is avoiding the visual impact and the noise. “When we speak about offshore wind farms, one turbine today is enough for the wind conditions in Malta to generate enough electricity in one year for 10,000 families.
– Photo Agenzia Fotogramma –
(ITALPRESS).
