Changing our approach to the energy resources we need every day to live is perhaps the greatest challenge humanity can face today. At a time when the climate is radically changing and the resources of an increasingly shrinking planet are depleted, it almost goes without saying that there is an urgent need to find alternative solutions .
Fortunately, it is not uncommon to see many experiments conducted by people with the will to do so. Discoveries and inventions like the one we want to tell you about here: an astonishing innovation born from the mind of a self-taught inventor, which could decisively change the production of wind energy.
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image credit: Wind Catching Systems
Believing in a cleaner energy future isn’t too far-fetched, and Asbjorn News knows it. This is certainly the thought that guided him when he designed the Windcatcher, the enormous wind turbine “sail” that we want to show you up close.
The idea is simple: why not combine several wind turbines at the same time in the middle of the sea, one on top of the other, in order to optimize the space and the output of a wind farm? At first glance, the Windcatcher looks like an element of a futuristic movie or tale. On the other hand, it could become a reality in its own right.
This offshore turbine system is taller than the Eiffel Tower and promises to power 80,000 homes. With Windcatcher, in essence, offshore wind farms are radically redesigned and, instead of having turbines scattered around the water, these are grouped together into a single macro-structure.
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image credit: Wind Catching Systems
The idea for Nes is therefore the fruit of an in-depth development by Wind Catching Systems, a Norwegian company that aims to make wind energy more and more present and used worldwide among renewable energies. Company representative Ronny Karlsen explains: “Currently offshore wind power requires specialized vessels and cranes to reach the turbines. With Windcatcher, we will build a lifting system that will simplify maintenance and reduce costs. ‘exploitation’.
Smaller but more rotors will also ensure maximum efficiency in terms of output, since, according to the company, this solution will be able to generate more energy than conventional rotors. With testing continuing unabated, Karlsen is confident that Windcatcher will be operational by 2024
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image credit: Wind Catching Systems
One of the company’s hopes is that this invention will be less harmful to birds than standard wind turbines. The reason? Bigger and denser than rotors, it could be much easier to detect – and therefore avoid – by birds. The issue has been taken very seriously, which is why a whole host of steps will be taken to ensure that these creatures can safely bypass Windcatcher.
“With this invention, it will be even more environmentally friendly and economical to produce renewable energy,” Karlsen concluded, and it is to be hoped that the Windcatcher will indeed prove to be a useful solution for the planet.
source used: Wind Catching Systems