As a co-founder of the Offshore Energy and Storage Society (OSESS), UWindsor engineering professor Rupp Carriveau is leading researchers worldwide pushing to innovate methods that combat the intermittent nature of renewable energy generation.

Dr. Carriveau played a critical role in developing Canada’s first underwater compressed air energy storage and conversion system with Hydrostor and Toronto Hydro, which currently operate the only grid connected underwater energy storage facility in the world. His most recent work is examining the stability and durability of offshore structures in deep waters that are subject to extreme weather conditions, such as tornadoes, extreme thunderstorms, downbursts, and other strong windstorms.

For the past five years, OSESS has met annually to exchange ideas and foster collaborations that will propel the integration of renewable energy and storage technologies.

“What we would like to see is OSESS be at the heart of major projects that make an impact for communities,” Carriveau says. “For example, we’ve talked about the electrification of an island. We plan on translating these lab scale and smaller field scale pilot projects into full-scale commercial support for the offshore scene.”

By 2022, the International Energy Agency expects offshore wind generation capacity will almost triple from 2016 levels. Today in Canada, the electricity grid is 80 per cent non-emitting and the federal government has adopted a target to have this increase to 90 per cent by 2030, according to the Canadian Wind Energy Association. Visit osessociety.com to learn more.

Read the full article in the 2019 issue of Windsor Engineering (WE).