16 of the World’s Wildest Wind Power Designs
When someone says ‘wind power’ most people probably think of giant high-cost three-bladed wind turbines generating massive amounts of power on a distant hilltop – but harnessing energy from the wind can be much more diverse and exciting in its forms and applications than simple wind turbine farms would lead one to believe. From sleek wind powered vehicles and clever home wind power generators to airborne floating turbines and nano-vent skins, wind power innovation is virtually limitless.
How about a smooth and silent wind turbine that could generate enough power for your entire house just by sitting quietly in the corner of your back yard? Or a land vehicle capable of outracing your conventionally powered car – all with wind energy? A way to charge your cellular phone without an outlet just using gusts and breezes? A skyscraper where the floors rotate independently at the whims of the wind? This gallery explores some of the most interesting cutting-edge applications of wind power in contemporary design. Click below to learn more:
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Thanks for the neat site! Hate to sound negative but: altho any wind option is greener, use of energy produces waste heat [see Laws of Thermodynamics], and it’s the human pattern to simply use more capacity if more is available [build a wider road, more people drive on it...]. So all the innovation in the world ain’t gonna save us from ourselves. [More] technology will NOT save us. That aside, wind options are a better way of being stupid.
Why i really wrote: whatever happened to that Grumman’s wind turbine, from back in the 80’s i think [Popular Science did a feature article on it].
A researcher by the name of Yen came up with an “augumented vortex” technology that supposedly milked unprecedented energy from wind. It looked like a cylindrical seashell pointing upwards.