Home - The Archimedes Re-inventing the Windmill.
About us. DualWingGenerator. With the DualWingGenerator, Festo has developed an extraordinary technology platform as part of the Bionic Learning Network. In contrast to conventional small wind power stations, the system uses two pairs of opposing wings instead of rotor blades to generate power. Reverse principle of the natural beating of wings The system’s principle consists of reversing the natural wing-beating principle: birds generate the necessary power to move forwards in the air by flapping their wings. A stationary system like the DualWingGenerator, on the other hand, can take the kinetic energy from the flow of air. The wings’ linear lifting movement is converted here into a rotary movement. An integrated electric motor turns the energy produced into electricity.
Ultimate effectiveness levels at low wind strengths The DualWingGenerator is self-optimising and can adapt itself to different wind conditions. New concept: opposing pairs of wings with linear lifting movement ... Saphonian bladeless turbine boasts impressive efficiency, low cost. The Saphonian bladeless wind turbine draws inspiration from the design of a ship's sails Image Gallery (2 images) Tunisian green energy startup Saphon Energy has created a new bladeless wind turbine which draws inspiration from the design of a ship’s sails, and promises to convert the kinetic energy of the wind into electricity at up to double the efficiency – and half the cost – of a typical wind turbine.
Dubbed the “Saphonian,” in honor of an ancient wind divinity worshiped by the Carthaginian Mediterranean culture which predated modern Tunisia, the current iteration of bladeless wind turbine is the second prototype developed by the company thus far. As illustrated by the development of the Solar Aero and Catching Wind Power bladeless turbines, there is a perceived need for wind turbines which can offer renewable energy while also avoiding the use of rotating blades, which can cause noise pollution and be harmful to birds. Source: Saphon Energy via Environmental News Network. Delft professor puts kites high on list for renewable energy. (Phys.org) —The word "kite" at the Delft University of Technology hardly means summertime fun and recreation.
Rather, scientists see "kite" as an important airborne wind technology, with advantages lacking in wind turbines. The university's kite team are encouraged by recent tests in a field near the aerospace engineering department at the university. That is where Roland Schmehl, associate professor, who has a background in computational fluid dynamics, continues to explore kite power. In terms of project scope, such kite trials are dwarfed by impressive wind turbines, but that is just the point. Schmehl believes that conventional turbines only scratch the layer of what can be available in wind as an energy resource, if kite power investigations lead to larger-scale developments.
A kite can fly higher and may harness steady winds beyond the limit of conventional turbines. This is how the team describes the process: Explore further: Energy from the windy heights via Guardian. Water lifting devices. 4.7.1 Background and State-of-the-Art i. Background The wind has been used for pumping water for many centuries; it was in fact the primary method used for dewatering large areas of the Netherlands from the 13th century onwards; [36]. Smaller windpumps, generally made from wood, for use to dewater polders, (in Holland) and for pumping sea water in salt workings, (France, Spain and Portugal), were also widely used in Europe and are still used in places like Cape Verde; Fig. 107.
However the main type of windpump that has been used is the so-called American farm windpump; (Fig. 108). Fig. 107 Wooden indigenous windmill pump for pumping sea water into salt pans on the Island of Sal, Cape Verde Other "new frontiers" such as Australia and Argentina took up the farm windpump, and to this day an estimated one million steel farm windpumps are in regular use [38], the largest numbers being in Australia and Argentina; [39], [40]. Fig. 108 All-steel 'American' farm wind pump ii. I. Ii. Iii. Iv. Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Generator Energy VAWT | Vertical Shaft Axis Wind Turbines VAWT Generators Energy Shafts Mills Windmill Power Mill Windmills.
...Agriculture Solar™ has been examining new wind energy systems to pump the large volume of water needed for irrigation. One new Agriculture Solar™ system uses a verticalaxis wind turbine to generate electricity that is compatible with utility grid power, and the pump is powered by this electrical system using a conventional electric motor. Agriculture Solar™ Vertical Axis Wind Turbines"VAWTs" can catch the wind from all directions and at lower wind speed than horizontal axis ones. There have been two distinct types of Agriculture Solar™ vertical axis wind turbines VAWT: The Darrieus and the Savonius types. The Darrieus rotor was researched and developed back in the 1980's.
New types of Agriculture Solar™ vertical axis wind turbine machines VAWT are being introduced such as the helical types particularly for use in active environments where they would be considered safer due to their lower rotational speeds and since they can catch the wind from all directions. Schools of Fish Inspire New Wind Farms that Will Increase Energy 10X. Every now and then you come across an article and concept that makes you really smile and feel good on the inside. Typically they are "feel-good" stories that you see online or on the news, but today I came across this story about how scientists have designed new wind farms based on how schools of fish swim. So not only are we creating technology to help the environment but we are looking at nature for help.
The new vertical-axis wind turbines are designed by Caltech and are currently being tested in the California desert. Based on early tests, the new design actually helps increase energy output by 10X and could be the wave of the future for wind technology. Here is a little statement from a Caltech engineer: Additionally here is a statement from the author of the study: Read more about the new advance over on the BBC. Dabiri.caltech.edu/publications/WhLiDa_BB10.pdf. Wind Turbine Output Boosted 30% by Breakthrough Design. Clean Power Published on April 29th, 2009 | by Timothy B. Hurst Passive structure design of “Wind Energizer” by Leviathan Energy reportedly increases wind turbine efficiency 30% in field tests.
Technological advancements in wind energy efficiency have generally come incrementally and usually made via a process of increasingly large wind turbine blades. Put simply, the model has been: longer blades = more output per turbine. But that pattern of incremental improvements may be a thing of the past if Leviathan Energy has anything to say about it. The principle theory at work is that by placing passive objects around a wind farm it will change the circulation around a large wind turbine. “This is a disruptive technology,” Leviathan Energy CEO Dr. Farb is a bit of a modern day renaissance man. “We’re shaping the flow so that the highest velocities hit the blades. >>See also : Leviathan Launches US Sales Effort for Wind Energizer Images courtesy of Leviathan Energy Follow Tim Hurst on twitter. Wind power could drive the world.
As the world seeks to lessen its reliance on fossil fuels like coal and natural gas, renewable energy sources like wind and solar power are being developed as alternatives. Contrary to some other recent studies, analysis of climate data in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences indicates wind turbines could harness hundreds of terawatts of electricity, far more than is needed to power the globe, even when accounting for the interplay between the groupings of turbines in so-called “wind farms.” To reach that maximum potential, according to study author Mark Jacobson, it would require 1.5 billion massive windmills to be installed on and offshore.
That’s far more than you would need to meet the world’s actual energy demands, the Stanford University engineer qualified, but you would still need many millions more turbines than currently exist. Jacobson envisions a very different future. “The world today produces 70 — 80 million cars every year. But experts were skeptical. London Array - Harnessing the power of offshore wind. S.Africa unveils wind atlas in renewable energy push.
South Africa on Tuesday launched its first verified wind atlas which maps out potential hotspots as a tool for wind farm developers as the coal-hungry country pushes toward renewable energy. The atlas models the wind climate in three coastal provinces, which is backed up by measured data from 10 masts which can be used for further studies to investigate if a location is viable for turbines. "This is an opportunity for investors -- this is an opportunity for them to invest in our green economy," said deputy energy minister Barbara Thompson. South Africa wants renewable energy to make up 42 percent of all new power projects as it aims to cut its overwhelming coal reliance, from 90 percent to 65 percent of the power supply by 2030, with major investments expected in nuclear and renewables.
Wind energy is vastly undeveloped in South Africa and the wind atlas project cost 22 million rands ($2.9 million, 2.3 million euros), funded by the UN Development Programme and the Danish embassy. SheerWind claims its INVELOX wind turbine produces 600% more power. (Phys.org) —SheerWind Inc. of Chaska, Minnesota is claiming in a press release that its newly developed funnel-based wind turbine system is capable of producing 600 percent more power than conventional wind turbines. The new design uses funnels to channel wind to a ground-based turbine. The idea behind the INVELOX system is to capture wind using wide mouthed funnels and channel it via ducts to a turbine sitting at ground level. The wind picks up speed as it is concentrated through a series of nozzle and pipes before it is delivered to a turbine, which produces electricity.
SheerWind claims in its announcement that the system is capable of producing electricity with wind speeds as low as 1mph. As an example, they say that tests have demonstrated that the system operating in natural wind speeds of 10mph is able to increase that speed to 40mph before it enters the turbine. After passing through the turbine, the wind is exhausted back into the environment, in this case, at 15mph.