A wind-energy-power-generating device is disclosed for flotation on a body of water. The device includes a turbine assembly having rotor blades rotating about a rotation axis for harnessing kinetic energy from an airflow. The device includes a cowl at least partially surrounding said turbine assembly and defining an airflow passageway between a cowl inlet and outlet, having an inlet and outlet axis, respectively. The inlet and outlet axis intersect at a redirect angle. The device includes a base platform adapted to support the turbine assembly and cowl on the water. The cowl is rotatably mounted on the base platform such that it is rotatable around the turbine assembly to self-align with a wind direction. Stabilising arms extend from the base platform and are spaced circumferentially around a platform axis, to stabilise it on the water. A wind-energy-power-generating device secured to the ground or other fixed non-floating structure is also described.

An easily assembled highly portable watercraft comprising a modular boat system that seats one or more operators and is comprised of four or more pontoons connected to downward-sloping diagonally-placed outrigger beams with attached stiffeners connecting to a bridge-deck. The portable watercraft can be rowed, poled, propelled by fins or propellers, and sailed, for example, by an operator situated on the bridge-deck. The pontoons, outriggers, bridge-deck, and other aspects are easily interchangeable to conform to numerous configurations making a custom watercraft that is tailorable to varying water conditions.

A semisubmersible floating platform (1) for supporting at least one wind turbine, comprising four buoyant columns (3), each of them being attached to a ring pontoon (2); a transition piece (4) configured to support one wind turbine, disposed on the buoyant columns (3); and a heave plate (5) assembled to the internal perimeter of the ring pontoon (2). The ring pontoon (2) comprises four pontoon portions forming a quadrilateral-shaped ring pontoon (2) wherein the first end of each column (3) is attached to a respective corner of said quadrilateral-shaped ring pontoon (2). The heave plate (5) is located in the internal perimeter of the ring pontoon (2), both defining a hollow. The pontoon (2) is preferably divided into a plurality of compartments or construction blocks that may be filled with fixed ballast, such as concrete. The transition piece (4) has four arms arranged in star configuration and protruding from a central point at which the wind turbine is located, the connection between the transition piece (4) and the columns (3) being designed to be located above the sea splash zone. Each of the buoyant columns (3) comprises at least one ballast tank configured for allocating sea water in order to adjust the draft and to compensate for the inclination of the platform (1), said at least one ballast tank comprised in each column (3) being independent of the at least one ballast tank of the other columns (3).

A floating structure and basic module of a floating structure are presented. The floating structure includes multiple lower floating bodies, an upper structure, and intermediate connection structures. The multiple lower floating bodies include multiple distributed elongated floating bodies. The floating bodies are spaced from each other by a certain distance. The sum of the displacement volumes of the floating bodies is greater than the displacement volume when the floating structure as a whole is fully loaded. The intermediate connection structures include at least multiple connection structures in a first direction, the first direction intersecting the horizontal plane. A connection structure in the first direction corresponds to a single elongated floating body connected to three or more spaced structures. The cross-section width of each intermediate connection structure in the horizontal direction is less than the width of the corresponding elongated floating body.

A floating support structure for an offshore wind turbine, comprises a float intended to be partly immersed and on which a wind turbine mast is intended to be assembled, and a counterweight connected to the float and intended to be immersed under the float. The float comprises a toroid or polygon-shaped main structure with at least five sides, a central tubular structure having a diameter adapted to receive the mast of the wind turbine and comprising a section able to be ballasted in order to adjust the waterline of the float, a first series of horizontal struts distributed about a vertical axis and connecting the main structure to the central structure, and a second series of oblique struts distributed about a vertical axis and connecting the main structure to the central structure at an angle comprised between 15 and 60 with the horizontal struts.

A novel rotatable hull that generally includes a hull that is capable of rotating around an attachment point where it is connected to a vessel. In preferred embodiments, an outdoor motor mounted to the rotatable hull will turn to vector thrust and apply a moment to rotate the hull around a nominally vertical axis where the hull connects to the vessel. The invention also is directed to a vessel, which employs a plurality of rotatable hulls. A plurality of rotatable hulls can be arranged into a tripod, square or other stable geometric configuration and connected by a structure to form a vessel that can move in any direction along the plane of the surface of the water with or without changing the yaw axis orientation of the connecting structure. This may be useful in applications such as catching objects that are descending from the sky.

The invention relates to a ducted wind turbine having a turbine rotor assembly which extracts kinetic energy from air flowing there past. The rotor assembly includes a plurality of rotor blades having rotor tips at their outermost ends which define a rotor tip sweep circumference. A duct assembly at least partially surrounds said rotor tip sweep circumference and a base platform supports the ducted wind turbine. The duct assembly is mounted on the base platform by way of a weathervane bearing arrangement such that the duct assembly may weathervane around the turbine rotor assembly in response to changes in wind direction. A semi-submersible support platform, wave energy capture apparatus, torsional bearing mechanism and a latticework wind turbine tower associated with the ducted wind turbine are also provided.

An easily assembled highly portable watercraft comprising a modular boat system that seats one or more operators and is comprised of four or more pontoons connected to downward-sloping diagonally-placed outrigger beams with attached stiffeners connecting to a bridge-deck. The portable watercraft can be rowed, poled, propelled by fins or propellers, and sailed, for example, by an operator situated on the bridge-deck. The pontoons, outriggers, bridge-deck, and other aspects are easily interchangeable to conform to numerous configurations making a custom watercraft that is tailorable to varying water conditions.

A semisubmersible floating platform (1) for supporting at least one wind turbine, comprising four buoyant columns (3), each of them being attached to a ring pontoon (2); a transition piece (4) configured to support one wind turbine, disposed on the buoyant columns (3); and a heave plate (5) assembled to the internal perimeter of the ring pontoon (2). The ring pontoon (2) comprises four pontoon portions forming a quadrilateral-shaped ring pontoon (2) wherein the first end of each column (3) is attached to a respective corner of said quadrilateral-shaped ring pontoon (2). The heave plate (5) is located in the internal perimeter of the ring pontoon (2), both defining a hollow. The pontoon (2) is preferably divided into a plurality of compartments or construction blocks that may be filled with fixed ballast, such as concrete. The transition piece (4) has four arms arranged in star configuration and protruding from a central point at which the wind turbine is located, the connection between the transition piece (4) and the columns (3) being designed to be located above the sea splash zone. Each of the buoyant columns (3) comprises at least one ballast tank configured for allocating sea water in order to adjust the draft and to compensate for the inclination of the platform (1), said at least one ballast tank comprised in each column (3) being independent of the at least one ballast tank of the other columns (3).

A floating device for supporting an offshore wind turbine, comprising a central floating pillar for fixedly receiving a tower of the wind turbine, at least three peripheral floaters, and one leg per floater, each leg extending in a longitudinal direction that runs radially in relation to the central pillar; each leg has a proximal end that is secured to the central pillar, and a distal end that is secured to the floater; the legs include an outer tubular element, which extends in the longitudinal direction of the leg and has a curved cross-section perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction, and an inner tubular element, which extends in the longitudinal direction of the leg and has a polygonal cross-section perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction, the polygonal cross-section being inscribed in the curved cross-section. The invention also relates to a floating wind turbine unit comprising the device and a wind turbine.