New Compact Turbine Could Triple Wind Power Output
Normally wind turbines lose up to 39.7 percent of potential energy because wind not only flows through the blades, but is also directed away from the turbine. The new FloDesign Wind Turbine takes cues from jet engine designs in order to minimize this wasted energy.
The company has enshrouded the moving blades with a set of stationary blades that propel the wind towards the rotor. The idea is not new, but previous designs have needed to constantly be aligned with the direction of the wind. The FloDesign turbine can automatically align to the wind direction and has been tested to be effective from up to 20 degrees away.
Conventional turbine design requires gigantic, slow-moving blades in order to compensate for the energy lost as the wind is directed around the device. FloDesign claims their new turbine can generate as much energy as a typical turbine twice its size.
Using these smaller turbines, wind farms could double or triple their efficiency simply by adding more turbines. The new technology could also finally silence critics of wind farms who say they are a cosmetic blight on landscapes and ocean views.
Check out this video FloDesign has produced to explain the technology in detail, complete with hip soundtrack.
Photo Credit: (1) Mugley on Flickr under Creative Commons license, (2) Courtesy of FloDesign
You Might Also Like
Four Democratic Senators Tilt at Recovery Act Windmills Not 100% Made in USA
South Dakota Legislature Kneecapping State’s Wind Potential
California Proposes First Renewable Energy Storage Requirements
New South Wales Power Cos Ignore Renewable Energy Potential, Plan 2GW Fossil Fuel Power Plants
December 1st, 2008 at 6:18 pm
What a load of cods! Wind power will never be enough to signifigantly meet any realistic energy demands now or in the future. The energy density is just not high enough. Oh sure you can run a few lightbulbs but what about machine tools? Wind power is crap! The only realistic energy technology in nuclear. That is it. Nothing else will do it!!
December 1st, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Smaller blades will probably make more noise at higher RPMs.
December 1st, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Still vaporware. I’ve been waiting to see a prototype for months. :\
But otherwise, sound cool.
December 1st, 2008 at 9:21 pm
For those starting up wind turbine businesses or desiring to attract more business through the internet, these domains (web addresses) can be purchased at the respective sites:
AAAWindEnergy.com
AAAWwindTurbines.com
SolarZoning.com
WindZoning.com
SitingWindTurbines.com
SitingWindmills.com
TurbineSiting.com
WindmillSiting.com
DoItYourselfWindmills.com
ProfitFromWind.com
OnShoreWindEnergy.com
Wind911.com
Wind100.com
InTheWindEnergy.com
InTheWindPower.com
MoneyFromWind.com
WindTurbines411.com
BackyardWindEnergy.com
DownWindEnergy.com
WindPowerBiz.com
WindEnergyBiz.com
InvestingInWindPower.com
WindTurbineFinancing.com
FinancingWindTurbines.com
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:41 am
Turbine power will continue to advance as such technology solutions are implemented. From physical changes to computer monitoring and control, the efficiency will continue to improve making wind a key component in the overall energy landscape.
December 13th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Doesn’t ANYONE research these wild claims? The upper limit of power available from wind is known: 59 percent.
“Normally wind turbines lose up to 39.7 percent of potential energy because wind not only flows through the blades, but is also directed away from the turbine.” That is how turbines extract power: the change of momentum from the change in direction. This is basic physics, people. These people are scam artists looking to extract your money more efficiently. You might as well invest in deposed African dictators.
December 28th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
Spain was able to recieve 43% of their electrical needs from the power of wind. MIT study says wind could power the whole US.
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUSLO12136320081124
http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2007/feb/wind020107.html
Respectively
January 3rd, 2009 at 9:27 pm
Sounds too good to be true. Flow – Design please build one, operate it, measure wind speeds with a three-cup anemometer, and measure the output power. Publish the results in a peer reviewed Journal for all to see.
January 8th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
I am an Aerospace guy with over 2 year experience in engine design. I really doubt this technology or even seems fraud to me.
Energy is extracted from momentum change in air. Now one can put a diffuser which is more or less like a frustum with the propeller at the end with smaller radium of the frustum so that it catches larger area and which gains velocity as area reduces (tricky).
Here you don’t have anything in front of the propeller and they have put cowl after the fan…hell why are they worried of wind after the fan…u r not extracting any energy out of it anyways…thats stupid
Stator is something that help align the flow over rotor so that you have smooth flow, when u have multistaged turbines. why does any1 to spend any1 on stator.