Archive for the ‘Wind’ Category

Wind-Turbines Come with Unexpected Consequences

Wednesday, February 11th, 2009

Wind turbine farms are popping up all over the place. The mammoth wind-mills are planted in the ground and then proceed to twirl their giant blades in a lazy circular motion, pumping out electricity in the process. The blades that cut through the sky vary in size, but are generally around 35 meters long. Of course some are bigger…much bigger. The largest turbine in the world - the Enercon E-126 - has a rotor diameter of 126 meters and stands proudly in Emden, Germany where it generates 20 million kilowatt hours per year. In the United States, wind generated power accounts for about one percent of the energy consumed. Wind turbines are symbols of the alternative energy movement, but the consequences of living near a wind farm aren’t always positive ones.

Wind turbines are constantly evolving into bigger, more efficient, and quieter machines. Unfortunately, individuals living next to these farms may complain of illnesses linked to the slow humming of the blades cutting through the wind. Symptoms range from migraines and mood swings to stomach aches and ulcers.

As if that isn’t enough, many individuals find that the large structures ruin the flow of the landscape, while others are horrified at the sight of a dead bird or bat lying near the turbine, after having suffered fatal injuries from flying near the blades.

The rapid spinning of the blades causes the air pressure around them to fluctuate. Decreases in the air pressure around turbines on exceptionally windy days have been known to kill bats by destroying their sensitive lungs, while vibrations in the air may not be heard, but can travel for miles effecting individuals living nearby.

Wind turbines are an excellent source of alternative energy, but not when human health is put on the line. This is a controversial topic, since organizations like the American Wind Energy Association claim that the noise from a wind turbine (1,000 feet away) is comparable to the light hum of a kitchen refrigerator, while neighbors to the farms are adamant that the contraptions have a detrimental effect on their lives.

Engineers are constantly improving wind-power technology with sound-dampening technologies, while researchers recommend that a wind farm should be surrounded with a buffer zone up to 3 miles wide. In theory, wind turbines are a great energy source: They are clean, efficient, self sustaining and create numerous jobs in an economy where finding employment is becoming more and more difficult. But nobody accounted for the health problems that the turbines seem to blow into homes.

Wind turbines are an innovative solution to the energy crisis. However, we can assume that there are going to be issues associated with wind farms until the design has been perfected.


The Enercon E-126 6.0 Megawatt Wind Turbine,
the largest wind turbine in the world, stands
656 feet (198 meters) from base to top of rotor sweep.

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Posted in CleanTech, Energy, Wind | 3 Comments »

Solar Sailor-Winged Ships

Tuesday, November 18th, 2008

With renewable energy sources like wind and solar constantly on hand, it is no wonder that everyone wants to harness this energy with constantly evolving technology. Cars and buildings are going solar, why not boats and massive cruise ships?

Solar Sailor, an Australian company that owns the patented ’solarsail’ technology, has developed devices comparable to ‘wings’ that attach to ocean-going vessels to harness the ever-popular wind and solar energy. Both sources of energy are especially abundant when floating on the ocean.

This hybrid marine power (HMP) technology comes in the from of a ’solar wing’, which typically rests on top of the ship like a solid metal sail (to take advantage of wind) and is covered with shimmering solar panels that rotate according to the sun’s position in the sky.

Boats have less design restrictions than cars, which is why giant solar panels can’t be strapped to the roof of vehicles that end up swerving around on a small road. Boats have no problem with these huge appendages and the extra weight of the attached chargeable batteries are not a problem either. In fact, they act as a ballast and improve the whole boating experience.  

The main safety issue with boats are storms. Heavy winds and giant waves are incredibly dangerous, and in these situations, the solar wings fold down against the boat and out of harm’s way. According to Solar Sailor, the system is “engineered to operate in 40 knots of wind, with 300% margin of safety.”
post resumes below image

Photovoltaic sails harvest energy from the wind and the sun.
(Photo: Solar Sail Holdings, Ltd.)

Captains of a boats equipped with solar sails have the option of controlling the airfoil wings automatically with a computer or manually.  SolarSailor explains that “in automatic mode the computer generally gets 3-6 knots of boat speed in a 20-knot wind depending on the wind direction on tourist cruises. Experienced sailors adjusting the wings manually have achieved steady 8-10 knots of boat speed - so we know there is further potential there.”

A boat equipped with HMP technology is typically 20-30% more expensive than vessels without the winged design. But, as with most green technologies, the design eventually pays for itself. In this case, payback occurs in as little as 3 to 5 years.

Solar Sailor technology is incredibly efficient and CEO of the company, Dr Robert Dane is certain that the solar wings will soon be a given when designing any ship: “We are confident we can build everything up to ocean liners and in fifty years time,” says Dane on the company’s homepage, “people will look back at boats of the 20th Century and they’ll say “where are the wings?”.

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Posted in CleanTech, Energy, Photovoltaic, Solar, Vehicles, Wind | 1 Comment »

Pickens Blowing Away the Competition

Tuesday, September 16th, 2008

T. Boone Pickens falls under a variety of descriptions depending on who you talk to: He is known as a corporate marauder to some, and an incredible businessman to others. Born in 1928 and growing up in Oklahoma and Texas, Pickens went on to found Mesa Petroleum which eventually became the largest independent oil and gas producer in the United States. He became famous for predicting the potential value of a company and buying them out to make a profit in the long run. Now, with a net worth of around 3 billion, it is hard to argue against the fact that T Boone Pickens knows an opportunity when he sees one.

Blessed with incredible foresight, it is no surprise that Pickens’ was one of the first philanthropists interested in greener fuel sources. In 1997, he formed the Pickens Fuel Corp, which advertised natural gas as the best fuel for your vehicle because of the lower pollution emitted and the fact that it is a domestic product.

His newest venture involves the PickensPlan, with the fundamental idea that petroleum is no longer a viable resource. It seems that Pickens has done a complete 180 since his earlier oil days. The PickensPlan focuses on switching to environmentally friendly resources with the goal of ultimately eliminating our dependence on foreign oil.

Pickens makes his idea clear: With regards to oil spending “America is in a hole and it’s getting deeper every day, I’ve been an oil man all my life, but this is one emergency we can’t drill our way out of. But if we create a new renewable energy network, we can break our addiction to foreign oil. On January 20, 2009, a new President gets sworn in. If we’re organized, we can convince Congress to make major changes towards cleaner, cheaper and domestic energy resources.”

The plan focuses on every aspect of the fuel crisis-including how it affects the U.S economy, environment and national security. The basic drive behind the plan, as with anything, is money. Right now the U.S imports 70% of the much needed oil used its citizens. PickensPlan explains that “at current oil prices, we will send $700 billion dollars out of the country this year alone - that’s four times the annual cost of the Iraq war.” The website goes on to explain that we might as well kiss cheap oil prices goodbye since the supply peaked in 2005 and prices are going nowhere but up. This should be enough of an incentive for most to continue reading.

The U.S has an incredible amount of wind-power at its disposal. In fact, “North Dakota alone has the potential to provide power for more than a quarter of the country,” as written on the website to prove their point. The plan is a feasible one, even if it is incredibly expensive. Global wind power would proved enough power for everyone on the planet 7 times over, and the United States’ great plains area, in the center of the country, has the highest concentration of winds in the world. A one time cost of 1trillion dollars would provide electricity for 20% of the nation through the power of wind farms. These farms would also provide for more job opportunities in rural areas where unemployment rates are known to be high, and provide homes with a clean energy from an abundant resource.

There is no question that Pickens will benefit from this plan, but one has to think whether the rest of the nation will too. More details, estimates and charts are available at PickensPlan.com

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Posted in Electricity, Energy, Fossil Fuel, Politics, Wind | No Comments »

Nanoventskin-MicroTurbines

Monday, June 30th, 2008

Air power is becoming a more common investment. Huge turbines line coasts and hills where constant winds whip through to spin the massive blades. Wind farms comprised of these towering blades are constantly expanding. But why focus on building turbines on such a massive scale, rather than focusing on the alternative; less intrusive smaller turbines on a mini-scale? International award winning designer and exhibitor, Augustin Otegui, asked just that question before coming up with nanoventskin.

In Otegui’s patented design, tiny turbines spin and make the most out of wind energy by being symmetrically designed: If the wind’s direction changes, the turbines adapt by rotating in the other direction ensuring that energy isn’t lost. To make the most out of this system, photovoltaic cells will play a role in the energy capturing process as well.

The design process is covered in Otegui’s nanoventskin blog:

“The outer skin of the structure absorbs sunlight through an organic photovoltaic skin and transfers it to the nano-fibers inside the nano-wires which then is sent to storage units at the end of each panel.

Each turbine on the panel generates energy by chemical reactions on each end where it makes contact with the structure. Polarized organisms are responsible for this process on every turbine’s turn.

The inner skin of each turbine works as a filter absorbing CO2 from the environment as wind passes through it.”

Ensuring that every section of the skin functions properly can be a tedious process. Thousands of turbines make up a small portion of any wall and if any debris causes issues or a malfunction occurs, a round supply unit monitoring the turbines makes it clear that maintenance is necessary in that area.  Not only that, but the unit will relay how much energy is produced.

Nanoventskin is still in the conceptual stages, but Otegui hopes to incorporate the design into existing buildings, allowing for efficient energy transfer on any structure.  He even suggests adding nanoventskin onto wind turbines by placing the ‘skin’ onto the huge supportive trunk. That way, every single part of the turbine converts wind to energy.

Keep an eye on Otegui’s blog to hear about more recent developments.

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Posted in Buildings, Fossil Fuel, Wind | No Comments »

Marquiss Wind Power

Thursday, May 1st, 2008

Marquiss Wind Power - Blowing Away the Energy Bill. It may be annoying to hear wind whip its way around your home forcing windows to rattle and trees to bend and creak under its pressure. But with new wind technology, at least it is no longer wasted energy. The patented ducted wind turbine designed by Marquiss Wind Power (MWP) takes advantage of winds that inevitably blow across rooftops. Right now, the technology is intended to be used in commercial and industrial buildings but who knows where else these turbines will find themselves in the future.

The Marquiss Wind Power homepage explains why wind turbines are so appealing:
- An ROI of 2 - 7 years
- Payback twice as fast as solar
- Allows for “rolling back the power grid” during high wind times
- Enables businesses to publicly embrace a green power source

In addition to the points above, wind power has the potential to generate power all day and night. MWP estimates that “at a constant wind speed of 28MPH, we expect the Marquiss Wind Power ducted wind turbine will be rated at 12Kw.”  This may be enough of an incentive to drop $30,000-40,000 for a wind turbine.  These turbines also come with a 10 year warranty and are expected to work without any issues for over 25 years.

An interesting question is whether wind power can provide more energy than solar.  MWP states that “the payback period for an investment in a Marquiss Wind Power ducted wind turbine is shorter than an investment in solar. Across the solar industry, the payback period ranges from 7-12 years depending on discounts, latitude, and many other factors. The payback period for a Marquiss Wind Power product will depend on your location, wind speed, and model purchased, but your maximum payback period is expected to be no more than 5 years.”  The great news is that wind turbines can be used in conjunction with solar panels to create a hybrid system.

After 2 decades of research in wind turbine design, Stanley Marquiss founded the company in 1996.  Paul A. Misso, CEO, has over 20 years of experience in management and IT for a fortune 100 firm, while COO, Steve Mathias, has been a part of many successful businesses including a Fortune 500 biotech firm. 

MWP is currently accepting orders and will begin setting up the turbines this year.

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Posted in Wind | No Comments »

Airtricity-”Building a More Powerful Europe” with Wind Farms

Thursday, April 10th, 2008

3u9zw5je0cb53.png3u9zw5je0cb53.pngMachines driven by wind are nothing new: Windmills date back to as far as 200 B.C where Persian farmers used these mesmerizing contraptions for grinding grains. Windmills are still popular today, especially in Europe where it is impossible not to see a windmill when touring areas like Denmark. Wind energy has been manipulated for centuries and with demand for electricity constantly peaking, it is no wonder that companies are throwing ideas around for more advanced and ecologically friendly ways of generating wind power.

Airtricity develops wind turbines that are dispersed throughout Europe. These wind farms, made up of as many as 100 turbines have been built on hills, coasts and offshore sea beds where the 1MW  of power generated by one of these contraptions can supply 700 homes with electricity. The idea of these giant turbines in the way of an otherwise pristine ocean view might be of concern to some, but the location of these turbines is carefully thought out to put minimal stress on the environment while also maintaining the aesthetic appeal of a specific area.

Turbines are typically located in areas with predictable winds powerful enough to turn the massive blades that start the whole process of generating electricity. Generally speaking, wind turbines are best suited in areas with constant winds of 10mph or more. Wind generated power is not consistent in one area, however, and with Airtricity’s plan of arranging wind farms throughout Europe, and not just in one region, energy flow is constant. Airtricity explains that “by connecting and integrating geographically disperse wind farms across Europe, each experiencing a different phase of the region’s weather system, electricity is produced wherever the wind is blowing and transported to regions of demand, ensuring a reliable and predictable source of energy.”

The most impressive aspect of the company is their goal to implement the offshore “Supergrid”. Wind turbines are most efficient offshore, since environmental impact and noise is minimal, and wind speed is typically higher over water than on land.

Airtricity explains that “The first step in the Supergrid programme is the development of a 10GW* Foundation Project to prove both the concept of the Supergrid and the technologies to be employed. Located between the Germany and the Netherlands, the 10GW Foundation Project will consist of around 2,000 wind turbines covering 3,000 km ² with a capacity of 5MW each, delivering output to all three countries…10GW is enough capacity to power over 8 million homes.”

A major benefit of using wind generated power is that the cost is predictable. Frustratring fluctuations in prices, currently seen with fuel costs, do not apply to wind turbines making the clean, reliable and efficient energy generated by these wind farms very cost competitive.

The brochure explaining the details of the power grid-”Building a More Powerful Europe”-can be found here.

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Posted in Wind | No Comments »