Snorvey wrote:I can't help thinking it would be worth adding wave generation to a floating wind turbine - I know it's been talked about and I suppose the engineering isn't all that difficult.
Everything about wave/tidal engineering is more difficult, which is one reason why it's taken so long to develop. Aside from the corrosion and biofouling ("barnacles") aspects, the basic problem is that water is so much denser than air so contains hugely more kinetic energy once it gets moving, which means it can do a lot more damage when it starts moving in anger. So for instance cars can usually stand up to the 100mph winds of a hurricane, but get swept away by a 10mph tidal wave.
Having a hybrid with a wind turbine will help the economics and spread the capex, but it doesn't help much with that basic problem.