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6 Posts tagged with the wind tag
Eavesdropper
1

Revolver.png

Concept art (via Frog.com)

 

A few weeks ago the website frog.com held a competition called Future of Fiction for the first time, where they challenged their own staff to come up with innovational and non-conventional solutions to wind power harnessing. Their employees decided that a portable wind turbine was worthy of reality, and thereafter, engineers looked at the idea and came up with a prototype for a beautiful commercial grade portable wind turbine called the Revolver.

 

 

This prototype claims to produce 35 watts in the swiftest breeze. It could charge batteries, power an electric lantern, charge phones and other mobile devices and even keep your laptop juiced, all while you are enjoying being far away from “the grid."

 

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(Left) Turbine setup (Right) Concept structure of the turbine (via frog.com)

 

The final design will be easily portable because of its shape and flexible turbine blades. Initially the Revolver is a slender cylinder, just a couple feet long. A sliding collar, to which the bendable urethane turbine blades connect, slides up the vertical axis turbine shaft. When this collar slides up, the blades “blossom” to reveal their beautiful spiral shape and the die-cast magnesium tripod legs on which the Revolver stands. There is no mention of how it could anchor to the ground, but engineers will find a solution before it becomes available to the public.

 

 

The future of camping is near, and it will involve a new type of “revolver”; one that keeps things alive.

 

 

Eavesdropper

653 Views 1 Comments Permalink Tags: design, industry, innovation, competition, prototyping, university, research, wind, hmi, alternative_energy, wind_power, on_campus, eavesdropper
Cabe Atwell
1

An overview of the Wind for Schools program (via DOE)

 

An exciting new project in Illinois is looking for middle schools and high schools to partake in an innovative curriculum change. The project is called Illinois Wind for Schools, modeled after the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) "Wind for Schools." Illinois has the second largest capacity for wind power in the United States, but it has not received funds from the Department of Energy to participate in NREL’s program.


Instead, the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs and the Department of Engineering Technology at Western Illinois University along with the Center for Renewable Energy and the College of Education from the Illinois State University are organizing their own program with funding from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The goal is to give students a well rounded idea of how weather and energy systems interact, pique their interest in the wind energy field, and to set the stage for Illinois based wind energy projects.


Applications are being accepted from schools that would like to participate in the program, which will begin in the 2012-2013 school year. Three to five schools will be chosen. These schools will receive all equipment and models necessary to teach the theory of wind energy and also allow the students plenty of hands on with with the projects. Functional model turbines components, model wind tunnels, testing equipment, weather balloons and weather data collection will be implemented in customizable labs and a comprehensive curriculum at each participating school. The ILWFS program will also run training sessions for teachers.


The project is getting a hand from the NREL by being a Wind for Schools Affiliate. These affiliates have access to the NREL’s publications, previous experiences, technical assistance, training programs, informational summits and the Wind for Schools online database.


 

No talk of expanding the program to more schools, but we are sure to learn more when the program has run through some iterations. The chosen schools will be notified April 2. Undoubtedly, this is a necessity of the future, and more schools should follow. Webinars, training classes, and other useful wind energy information is available at the Wind Powering America page.


 

Cabe

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145 Views 1 Comments Permalink Tags: test, innovation, measurement, education, university, research, energy, wind, hmi, alternative_energy, school, student, wind_energy, on_campus, wind_farm, cabeatwell
Eavesdropper
0

(Via MAKANI POWER)

 

Remember flying a kite as a child? At times, it could almost pull you over. Corwin Hardham, CEO of MAKANI POWER, wants to harness that power for an alternative wind turbine. Hardham's team at MAKANI POWER created the Makani Airborne Wind Turbine, an energy absorbing kite.


The Makani Airborne Wind Turbine would hold the same purpose of a traditional tower turbine, energy generation. The kite is designed to withstand the force of the wind, and follow the same arc of a traditional turbine blade. The airborne turbine has the same rated power, but has twice the consistently of the best wind turbine operating today.


The company stated the airborne turbine will weigh just a tenth, and cost half the price, of a normal tower turbine. A traditional 1-megawatt wind turbine can exceed 100 tons; where Makani’s turbine weight is significantly lighter while still providing the same power output. The turbine gets its advantage from a carbon-fiber wing and a lightweight motor.


The Makani Airborne Wind Turbine’s motorized fixed-wing gliders circle a circumference of 26 feet. When at 1,000 feet and traveling 150 miles per hour, the turbine creates resistances against the high altitude winds which spin the small propeller blades along its chassis. While at flight, it is constantly streaming electricity to the grid connection strapped to the ground.


What about days with little wind? The glider will draw power from the grid to keep it airborne. If enough time of no wind passes, the kite will be reeled in for deployment in more favorable conditions. The small propellers create a loud buzzing sound, which the team is currently focused on eliminating.


In the end, the Makani Turbine's power output costs 3 cents per kilowatt hour, which is on par with today's modern wind farms. However, when factoring in the initial cost of the device and installation, the Makani Turbine comes out on top.


The Makani Airborne Wind Turbine not only won this year’s Breakthrough Award in energy from Popular Mechanics, it also received a $3 million dollar grant from Department of Energy’s ARPA-E program, in addition to, $20 million in venture capital funding from Google. In 2013, Makani Power plans to launch a prototype of the new design and become commercialized by 2015.


 

Eavesdropper

246 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: power, innovation, university, wind, turbine, alternative_energy, kite, on_campus, eavesdropper, energy_savings, wind_turbone, kite_power
Cabe Atwell
0

scot turbine.jpg

(via Stuart McMahon)

 

A shower of flaming material from a wind turbine in North Ayrshire, Scotland, have many residents worried about a potential repeat. This day saw extreme winds, clocked at 160-mph (260km/h) from a north Atlantic storm rolling through town.

 

Turbines have a shutdown procedure when winds exceed a certain speed. A technique called 'feathering' adjusts the blades pitch so they do not spin. See my post about "Wind Farms in cities" for what may happen when the braking system stops during high winds. (Spoiler: the turbine explodes). The manufacturer of the Scotland turbine, Vestas of Aarhus, is unsure of the cause. Gear box failure, brakes, and blade malfunction are some of the possibilities.

 

Like Japan ending nuclear development after Fukushima, events like these may steer people away from wind energy. Maybe it is for the better, as some say that wind farms have a negative effect of the environment like fossil fuels. To be fair, to accomplish this draining of kinetic energy, there would be wind farms in any direction one looks.

 

A local resident in the area caught the turbine failure on video. (via tombyoung)

 

Cabe

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369 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: wind, turbine, alternative_energy, scotland, explosion, wind_energy, disaster, cabeatwell, energy_savings
Eavesdropper
6

flow765.jpg

 

There are major issues with using wind turbines in urban areas. Ice whipping from the blades and other mechanical disasters face turbine use on a regular basis. However, safer and smaller turbine arrays have been shown to be a major benefit. The goal is to get a larger turbine safe enough for use in cities. Katru Eco-Energy may have found the perfect balance with their IMPLUX vertical turbine. This turbine is omni-directional, somewhat enclosed, and can use up to 87% of the wind that moves into its housing. The side walls of the turbine are shaped in such a way to force the air entering to move upwards through the actual turbine blades. And birds can not be pulled into the turbine and killed, do not worry. The slots are too small for them to pass through. Which does not mean that will not get stuck in there. The first IMPLUX turbine will be approximately 4m in diameter and produce 2 KW. And future models, Katru boasts, will output 4 - 10 KW.

 

The IMPLUX was first demonstrated at the Engineering Excellence Awards, Sydney-Australia, back in 2007. The United States patent was awarded in 2008. And the first production model will be available in 2012. A long development indeed.

 

Eavesdropper

 

Pictures and  Video via Katru

1000 Views 6 Comments Permalink Tags: industry, innovation, energy, wind, turbine, alternative_energy, eavesdropper:dit, dit
Cabe Atwell
0

spain-wind-turbines.jpg

A windfarm in Spain

 

As of March 2011, wind power accounts for 21% of the electricity demand in Spain. Which made it the #1 source over nuclear (19%) for the first time. Although this is an achievement, and Spain in setting records in green technology, it is coming at a very large price.

 

Despite the environmental impact, the financial repercussions are catching up. The renewable energy produced in Spain is heavily subsidized by the government since it can not compete with the cheapness of more traditional fuels. Unfortunately the subsidize are paid by Spain's citizens. According to professor Gabriel Calzada of King Juan Carlos University, the bill to the citizens has turned out to cost $774,000(USD) for every "Green Job" created.

 

Meanwhile, job losses experienced through the hike is energy prices are causing a loss of 2.2 jobs per every Green Job. For example, Spain's Acerinox SA, a major steel fabricator, has decided to move many jobs to South Africa and the U.S. due to the domestic energy prices.

 

This issue has effected several other countries as well, and is poised to hit the United States via President Obama's $20 billion dollar green energy incentive. Let's hope something can be learned from Spain's wins and losses.

 

Cabe

182 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: industry, energy, wind, world, alternative_energy, spain, economy, cabeatwell:dit, wind_farm