Can you imagine a wind turbine … without rotating blades? If at first, this seems some kind of absurdity to you, you are not the only one who has this impression. The invention we are going to tell you about goes exactly in this direction. A Spanish start-up has developed an alternative wind turbine, capable of solving a whole series of problems often associated with this type of clean energy production instrument.
It is nothing new, in fact, that traditional wind turbines are at the center of research and problems mainly related to the impact on animals and the surrounding landscape. This is why the Vortex Bladeless represents a significant change of course. But how does such an innovative turbine work? Let’s take a closer look.
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image credit: Vortex Bladeless Wind Energy/Facebook
Same performance, but no impact on the animals and the landscape. According to several studies conducted on the subject, each year many specimens of eagles, owls, bats, and other birds risk or lose their lives due to the movement of the rotating blades and the infrasound they produce. . The structures designed by the start-up Vortex Bladeless would therefore make it possible to eliminate the problem upstream since these turbines have no moving parts.
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image credit: Vortex Bladeless Wind Energy/Facebook
Are you wondering how they generate energy? Simple, but at the same time ingenious and efficient: with a vibration system. The Vortex Bladeless is indeed cylinders about 3 meters high, fixed to the ground by elastic cables. It is precisely this elasticity that allows the instrument to move by vibrating when struck by the wind. The tension of the air, with the oscillations that it produces, generates energy thanks to an alternator which converts the movement into electricity.
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image credit: Vortex Bladeless Wind Energy/Facebook
It is clear that such a system has a much lower impact than traditional wind turbines, which require larger spaces and specific rules for their installation. Not to mention that the low height of the Vortex Bladeless also minimizes the impact on the landscape, without producing annoying noises, especially for animals.
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image credit: Vortex Bladeless Wind Power/Youtube
This idea of producing power from wind without blades has been appreciated and supported by many companies around the world. Equinor, the Norwegian state-owned electricity company, to name just one example, included Vortex in a list of the most successful and promising start-ups from an energy perspective. “We are not against traditional wind farms – said David Yanez, head of this company of only 6 people – but we believe that our invention can help to fill their gaps and their problems”.
With these objectives in mind, Vortex Bladeless intends to revolutionize the sector, by producing increasingly powerful vibrating “turbines”, thanks to partnerships with energy giants. We just have to wait and see. Will it be the wind power of the future?
Source used:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/billtucker/
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/
https://www.facebook.com/vortexbladeless
https://www.youtube.com/
Vortex Bladeless