Concepts Gallery – Aerotecture Style

Aerotecture

http://www.aerotecture.com

Energy Saving Now!

Savonius Vertical Axis Wind Turbine. (SVAWT)

Savonius Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

An early style is generally called a Savonius Rotor. The spinning part of a weatherman’s wind speed device (anemometer) is a Savonius Rotor. Sideways mounted cups catch the wind and cause the vertical shaft to spin. A Savonius Rotor has an advantage. It works equally well with wind from any direction. Savonius rotor have efficiencies as high as around 30%, It is common and popular with home builders, because of its aerodynamic simplicity and that it does not need considerations of wind directions.

Darrieus Vertical Axis Wind Turbine. (DVAWT)

Darrieus wind turbine

A very sophisticated cross-wind-axis turbine is the Darrieus Rotor. This design looks something like an egg-beater, with usually either two or three curved airfoils. This design is technically called a high-tip-speed cross-wind-axis turbine. The airfoils and the high airfoil velocities allows this style to have efficiencies as high as around 35%, over a fairly wide range of wind speeds. It is suitable for mass production and is the best choice of VAWT. The aerodynamic design is more complicated, but is easy when it is once in mass production.

Wind Mill Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine. (WMHAWT)

Windmill Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine

Early version of this wind turbines, was the Dutch-style windmill, which was used primarily for milling grain for farms. Why it is so closely identified with The Netherlands, is the very large number of such wind turbines that was used there, for the purpose of serving as water pumps in the countries land recuperation from the sea. Its extremes of performance were of little importance, as were its low efficiency in converting the energy in the wind to useful work. More important was the utilization of renewable energy, easy design, robustness and suitability for repetition. Its low efficiency does exclude this type of turbines.

Propeller type Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine. (PHAWT)
The traditional Propeller style is what is called a high-tip-speed wind-axis turbine. Because of the high tip speed, the theoretical efficiency can be higher, around 45%. This higher efficiency probably explains the usage of Propeller-style turbines on large wind farms. This is the best and also most common choice for HAWT.

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Lightning GT – The World’s First Green Supercar?

By Chuck Squatriglia March 03, 2008 | 3:45:45 PMCategories: Electric Vehicles

The all-electric Lightning GT might just be the world’s first green supercar. It’s as clean as the Tesla Roadster, as quick as the Porsche 911 GT3 RS and as pricey as the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640.

The Lightning Motor Co. is Britain’s equivalent to Tesla Motors — a small company that believes electric vehicles are the future and the best way to sell them is to make them as fast as they are sexy.

“Without a significant positive shift in perception,” the company says, “electric motoring will remain a large compromise in the eyes of driving enthusiasts and therefore fail to impress the masses.”

The Lightning is impressive indeed.

The company says four in-wheel motors generate 553 lb-ft of torque — that’s about as much as the tire-shredding Dodge Viper SRT produces — and 120 kilowatts apiece (for a combined total of about 643 horsepower, putting it in the same ballpark as the Corvette ZR1). Lightning claims the car will do 0 to 60 in 4.0 seconds and hit a top speed of 130 mph. Range is 250 miles.

The car features an aluminum honeycomb chassis, carbon-kevlar bodywork, regenerative braking and 36 kilowatt nano lithium titanate battery the company says will charge in just 10 minutes and maintain 85 percent capacity after 15,000 charges. Look for a full slate of features, from anti-lock braking and traction control to air conditioning and leather.

What’s all this speed and luxury cost? Almost $300,000.

Lightning seems serious about building the car. It’s spent the past two years refining the design and lining up suppliers like Altairnano and PML Flightlink to provide the batteries and motors, respectively. Altairnano’s Nanosafe batteries power the world’s fastest EV dragster, and Volvo is using PML’s Hi-Pa drive wheel motors in its ReCharge plug-in hybrid concept, so there’s no question the hardware works. But as Tesla has shown, building a car from scratch is no easy feat, and Lightning’s got its work cut out for it.

PowerPedia Encyclopedia

PowerPedia is an encyclopedia that the comunity shares, building it together, maintaining it, fine-tuning the information to become the best repository available on alternative energy subjects.

Scientists and inventors

Nikola Tesla

One of the most brilliant inventors of history and was of an unusual intellectual vision and is affectionately referred to as the “Father of Free Energy“.

Viktor Schauberger

(1885 – 1958) Founder of implosion technology. Studied the phenomena of the fluidic vortices

Eugene Mallove

One of Cold Fusion’s champion and was murdered.

Science and technology

Induction motor Internal combustion engine

Radiant energy Renewable energy

Small wind turbine manufacturers and distributors

Aerostar
– manufacture the two blade, tailless, downwind Aerostar 6 Meter Wind Turbine. Based in Westport Point, Massachusetts. www.aerostarwind.com

Aerotecture
– design and manufacture helical aeroturbines that can be mounted on existing buildings – vertically, horizontally or diagonally. Based in Chicago.  www.aerotecture.com

AeroVironment
– the Californian company, better known for its unmanned aircraft technologies, has developed a small, modular Architectural Wind turbine system designed for installation on buildings in urban and suburban areas. www.avinc.com/wind

Ampair
– design, build, specify and supply products for use in a variety of applications, all powered by wind, water and sun. Based in Berkshire. www.ampair.com

Bergey Windpower
– a major US supplier of small wind turbines, with installations in many countries and an international network of dealers. www.bergey.com

Cleanfield Energy
– develop and manufacture a 3.5kW VAWT that it claims can be installed on virtually any existing home or business. Established in 2002 and based in Ontario, Canada. www.cleanfieldenergy.com

Eclectic Energy Limited
– design and manufacture the DuoGen, a dual wind and water generator for yachts, as well as the StealthGen urban wind turbine. Based in Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire, since 1999. www.eclectic-energy.co.uk

Ecofys BV
– developing a series of Urban Turbines, innovative wind turbines for built up areas. www.urbanturbines.com

FuturEnergy Ltd
– domestic wind turbine manufacturer, with grid tied solutions, and DIY installations. Based in the UK, a subsidiary of Special EFX Ltd. www.futurenergy.co.uk

Iskra
– experienced in the wind turbine and other engineering industries. One product is the Iskra AT5-1 turbine. Based in Leicestershire. www.iskrawind.com

Marlec Engineering
– formed in 1979 and originally based on the Rutland Windcharger. Based in Corby, Northants. www.marlec.co.uk

McKenzie Bay International Ltd
– their WindStor® system is designed to generate and distribute electricity at urban and off-grid locations from their WindStor VAWT and System Integrator. Based in Michigan, USA. http://web.mckenziebay.com/

North Energy
– a renewable energy consultancy with offices in Northumberland and Sheffield. They undertake feasibility studies, research and practical projects. www.northenergy.co.uk

PacWind
– the Californian company produce a range of VAWTs, from the 500w Seahawk to the 10kw DELTA II. www.pacwind.net

Proven Energy Ltd
– a family owned business based in Stewarton in south-west Scotland which manufactures and installs wind turbines and pv panels. www.provenenergy.co.uk

Renewable Components
– manufacture the MiniWind range of domestic turbines and supply component parts to other manufacturers in the renewable energy sector. Based in Eyemouth, South East Scotland.
www.renewablecomponents.com

Renewable Devices (Swift Turbines)
– developed the Swift Rooftop Wind Energy System™, a building-mountable wind turbine. www.renewabledevices.com/swift

Samrey Wind Turbines
– design, manufacture and specify small wind turbines and renewable energy systems. Their Wren, Mistral and Merlin turbines are all manufactured in the UK from proprietary UK components. www.samrey.co.uk

Southwest Windpower
– produce the Skystream, AIR and Whisper small wind turbines, in Arizona. www.windenergy.com

Turby
– a Dutch VAWT especially designed for built up areas and for roof tops on high buildings. www.turby.nl

Wind & Sun Ltd.
–  design, supply and install wind and solar systems.  Launched in 1982 by Steve Wade and based in the Humber Marsh Nature Reserve in Herefordshire. www.windandsun.co.uk

Wind Energy Solutions
– manufacture the WES5 Tulipo, a 2.5 kW Dutch wind turbine especially designed for use in urban environments. http://www.windenergysolutions.nl/wes5/index.htm

Windsave Ltd.
– formed in 2002 to develop a commercial and domestic small wind turbine system using low wind speeds and avoiding the use of batteries. www.windsave.com

Wind Simplicity
– a father–daughter team, based in North York, near Toronto, Canada, produce 3 standard Windancer models and larger turbines to order. http://windsimplicity.ca

WindWall B.V.
– produce a Darrieus turbine with a horizontal axis, developed specifically for deployment in built-up areas.

A WindWall Darrieus turbine with a horizontal axis, from The Netherlands

Winsund
– specialise in the supply of small to medium sized wind generators. They are part of the Jennings Group of companies and based in Co. Durham. www.winsund.com

XCO2
– an Islington low-carbon energy consultancy and engineering practice has designed and developed a quietrevolution vertical-axis (VAWT) wind turbine – also available with light emitting diodes. http://www.xco2.com/quietrevolution

Urban Wind Energy

Urban Wind Energy

A guide for Urban Wind Energy in the UK Promoting passive and active wind energy as a positive response to climate change. This guide aims to increase awareness of the benefits of wind energy and the potential to harness it within an urban environment. It is intended as an overview for individuals and groups who are interested in setting up an urban wind energy project, with or without specialist help, and covers the sorts of issues that are likely to arise technological, environmental, political, financial. Each topic is dealt with in a general way to get across the key facts. The Resources section provides a list of useful organisations, websites, books and periodicals. The list is by no means exhaustive it is intended as a starting point, from which new contacts and sources of information can be found. Urban wind energy receives much less attention than wind farms in upland rural areas and offshore, where large turbines in very windy locations have the capacity to generate significant amounts of electricity. Urban wind projects should not be seen as competing with big wind farms: they can’t. However, there are real opportunities to harness the wind in towns and cities. Urban wind energy can help to reduce our energy demand, provide a source of clean, local power, and raise awareness of the importance of renewable energy in the context of climate change. This website grew out of a Local Agenda 21 urban wind project in Ealing, West London.  The aim is for it to become a national resource.  Please contribute to the website’s development by commenting on its content, suggesting improvements and new links, and submitting case studies, updates and news. http://www.urbanwindenergy.org.uk

Powercast – Wireless Power Revolution Leaders

http://powercastco.com/

Powercast

Powercast Corporation is a pioneer focused on the creation of wireless power technology since 2003.

• A leader in wireless power designed for a new class of defense, industrial and commercial electronics.
• Owns technology attributes revolutionizing wireless “power delivery systems” with highly valuable core technology. This technology is based upon radio frequency technology and revolutionizes the supply of power within electronic devices.
• Dedicated to providing a full range of solutions that deliver milliWatts over meters, Watts over centimeters and RF energy harvesting. In addition to this, Powercast also is focused on development of reference products within applications such as wireless lighting, wireless sensors, “lifetime batteries” and rechargeable handheld devices. In comparison to other alternative energy technologies, Powercast accomplishes power transmission uniquely.
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Pacwind Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT)

A Pacwind Turbine

About PacWind
PacWind, LLC is a wind energy innovator. Since 1998, its founders have been developing a proprietary series of Vertical Axis Wind Turbines that have had a transformative effect on the wind energy industry. The Company has designed wind turbines for a wide variety of applications – from turbines built for NASA to capture 400- mile-an-hour winds for a lander on Mars – to more common uses like the turbine that powers Jay Leno’s 20,000-square-foot Green Garage in Los Angeles. Unlike traditional propeller wind turbines, PacWind’s vertical axis turbines are silent, vibration free, maintenance free, cost-effective and visible to birds. PacWind turbines provide a swift financial return to their owners and users. They are suitable for use in both densely populated cities and rural areas, like wind farms. PacWind’s vertical turbines can be installed on buildings, homes, stand-alone poles and can blend into diverse landscapes.

http://www.pacwind.net

Slashdot | Plug-In Hybrids Aren’t Coming, They’re Here

Wired is running a story about the small but vocal, and growing, number of people who aren’t waiting for automakers to deliver plug-in hybrids. They’re shelling out big money to have already thrifty cars converted into full-on plug-in hybrids capable of triple-digit fuel economy. “The conversions aren’t cheap, and top-of-the-line kits with lithium-ion batteries can set you back as much as $35,000. Even a kit with lead-acid batteries — the type under the hood of the car you drive now — starts at five grand. That explains why most converted plug-ins are in the motor pools of places like Southern California Edison… No more than 150 or so belong to people like [extreme skiing champion Alison] Gannett, who had her $30,000 Ford Escape converted in December. Yes, that’s right. The conversion cost more than the truck.”

100+ mpg suv