Wind turbines are one of the most promising sources of large-scale renewable power.  Wind power doesn’t produce any pollutants, and unlike water or fuel resources, wind is literally an endless source of energy.  However, wind farms do require a substantial amount of space, which is why a much more efficient design like the “Wind Lens” could make wind energy cheaper and more practical.

Developed by researchers at Kyushu University’s Research Institute for Applied Mechanics (RIAM), the wind lens design utilizes a curved housing that encircles the blades of a wind turbine.  The ring is comprised of an inlet shroud, diffuser, and brim that work together to create a low-pressure pocket behind the turbine when wind passes around the ring.  The resulting suction can triple the effective wind speed that drives the turbine blades.

The Aerodynamics Behind The Wind Lens (image: Kyushu University RIAM)

Increasing the energy generated from a single turbine has the potential to make wind power even cheaper than nuclear energy, and wind turbines carry none of the risks associated with nuclear power plants.  Their primary drawbacks are interference with wildlife (such as migrating flocks of birds) and noise; fortunately, the Wind Lens design makes turbines quieter as well as more efficient.

But could wind turbines really make a substantial contribution to US energy demand?  Absolutely.  A recent MNN article by Karl Burkart breaks down the numbers in more detail, but the bottom line is this:  if improved turbines like the Wind Lens were installed in just 20% of America’s “high wind potential” areas, they could provide all the power consumed in the US.

Rendering Of An Offshore Application For Wind Lens Turbines (image: Kyushu University RIAM)

Prototypes are already being tested at Kyushu University.  And the developers are already thinking ahead to the possibilities for large-scale implementation, including floating offshore wind farms far out to sea that could take advantage of uninterrupted air currents without competing for space on land.

(via CleanTechnica & MNN)

^{Photo of Clipper’s 2.5 Megawatt turbine — the 7.5 megawatt turbine will be much larger.}

The Queen is investing in the world’s largest wind turbine. It’s a prototype of a new line of wind turbines called “The Britannia” which will be produced by Clipper Windpower, based in California. The turbine tower stands about 328 feet, has a diameter of 492 feet, and can generate 7.5 megawatts. Currently, the largest installed wind turbine is the massive Enercon E-126, which is rated at 7 megawatts (see of our previous post here).

The sale was made to the British Crown Estate, which owns most of the seabed off Britain’s shores, regularly leases out its land to wind farm projects but has never invested in the turbines. The prototype turbine is part of Britain’s ambitious goal of generating 33 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2020.

The Crown Estate press release says:

This investment will allow The Crown Estate to gain firsthand knowledge of the challenges facing the development of wind turbines specialised for deep water marine deployment as the process of engaging industry to develop the next phase of offshore windfarms begins. If the industry is to reach the current delivery target of a total capacity of up to 33 GW by 2020, this kind of support and research will be invaluable.

In addition to a unique and diverse property portfolio, encompassing urban and rural estates, the marine interests of The Crown Estate include almost the entire UK territorial seabed out to 12 nautical miles and around 55 per cent of the UK’s coastal foreshore. In addition, The Crown Estate has the rights to lease seabed for the generation of renewable energy on the continental shelf within the Renewable Energy Zone which extends out to approximately 200 nautical miles.

Via: Crown Estate Press Release

Officials at Rock Port, Missouri, christened a four-turbine wind farm this week, making Rock Port the first U.S. city to get 100% of its electricity from wind power.

The $90 million Loess Hills Wind Farm, built by the Wind Capital Group generates five megawatts each day, more than enough for this town of 1,300. The wind farm consists of four Suzlon 1.25-megawatt wind turbines.

In fact, the farm is producing enough energy to power a second town of Rock Port’s size. Missouri Joint Municipal Utilities will buy excess power from the farm, expected to eventually generate 16 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year.

To celebrate being America’s first wind-powered community, Rock Port, which is located in the far northwest corner of Missouri, will host a “Green Switch” celebration on Friday.

Via: The Examiner

This is a quick post to let you know that the Bahrain World Trade Center has turned on all three of its huge wind turbines simultaneously. For a glimpse of the turbines in action, check out the video over the fold:

The three massive turbines, measuring 29 meters in diameter, are supported by bridges spanning between the complex’s two towers. Through its positioning and the unique aerodynamic design of the towers, the prevailing on-shore Gulf breeze is funneled into the path of the turbines, helping to create power generation efficiency.

The wind turbines will deliver approximately 11-15% of the energy needs of the building, or 1100 to 1300 megawatt-hours per year — enough to provide light in 300 homes for over a year.

Foster + Partners have just been granted preliminary permission to start construction on this volcano-shaped superstructure in Moscow, which will be dubbed “Crystal Island”. In terms of efficiency monolithic buildings like this seem unnecessary, but the proposed dimensions are amazing: it will be 1,500 foot tall with 26,909,776 foot squared of floor space, that’s enough room to house 30,000 people.

As you would expect from a Foster + Partners project, the self-contained city within a city has green energy management at the very heart of the design. Crystal Island will generate low carbon energy from solar arrays and wind turbines located on the building with vast atriums to regulate the internal air temperature during the extremes of the Russian summer and winter.

Fosters + Partners say:

Crystal Island will have a range of cultural, exhibition and performance facilities, approximately 3000 hotel rooms and 900 serviced apartments, as well as offices and shops, designed to maintain a dynamic and animated public realm throughout the day. Residents are able to work and live within a densely planned area where every amenity is within easy walking distance, including an international school for 500 students. Mixed-use also presents a strong case for energy balance, with individual components using energy at different times, while reinforcing the breadth of economic and social activity of the area.

The building’s spiraling form emerges majestically from a newly landscaped park, rising in converse directions to form a diagonal grid. This distinctive geometry extends throughout the project into the park. The result is that the scheme is seamlessly integrated into a new park landscape, which provides a range of activities throughout the year, including cross country skiing and ice skating in the winter.

The internal built volumes of over one million square metres (more than ten million square feet) assume a staggered formation within the triangulated steel mega frame, extending flush against the sloping facetted glazed outer skin. This terracing creates a series of winter gardens, which form a breathable second layer and thermal buffer for the main building, shielding the interior spaces from Moscow’s extreme summer and winter climates. A vertical louvre system sheaths the internal facades to ensure privacy for the individual apartments.

Enclosure panels on a dynamic geometry are slotted into the structural framing to allow daylight to penetrate deep into the heart of the scheme and can be controlled to modify the internal environment – closed in winter for extra warmth and opened in summer to allow natural ventilation. Energy management is at the heart of the design, with additional strategies to include on-site renewable and low-carbon energy generation.

Via: Aesthetic Poetic

The tallest wind turbines in the U.S. have been installed in Texas — the Vestas V90 turbines are 345 feet high, and are rated at 3 megawatts each. They are part of the 63 megawatt Snyder Wind Project, a wind farm that’s just been installed in western Texas.

Texas is already home to Horse Hollow, the world’s largest wind farm with 421 wind turbines that generate a total capacity of 735 megawatts.

The turbine towers at Snyder are so tall because wind conditions are best at that height — will produce energy sufficient to power more than 12,000 average Texas homes annually.

The wind farm was built by Enel SpA and GE  Energy Financial Services. The two companies are also working together on another 101 megawatt wind farm project in Kansas.

^{Workers repair a 1.5 MW wind turbine — the turbines at Snyder are twice this size.}

Via: GE Press Release

The UK plans to build offshore wind farms that generate a total of 25 gigawatts. This is in addition to an existing 8 gigawatts of planned construction. This vast increase in wind power, in addition to the wave and tidal projects being tested in the Orkney islands, could power all of the UK’s homes by 2020.

The scheme could see turbines so large that they would reach 850ft into the sky. Each would be capable of powering up to 8,000 homes.

Britain’s current range of coal, gas, nuclear and other power stations are capable of generating 75 gigawatts (GW) of electricity, but less than 0.5GW comes from wind.

Business Secretary John Hutton will announce at an energy conference in Berlin tomorrow that he wants to see this target raised to 33GW-worth of wind turbines installed in the seas around Britain by 2020. If energy consumption remains stable this would mean wind power could supply the electricity needs of every home in Britain.

There would still be a need to keep fossil-fuelled power stations in reserve because windless days could leave Britain with power shortages.

Via: Peak Energy and Times Online

This 42-story apartment tower, under construction at Elephant and Castle in London, will feature a roof with an array of integrated wind turbines. The three turbines are each nine meters in diameter and are design to provide power the building’s lighting systems.

The tower itself will be a green building, and the residents will save about 40% in energy costs, and the building is expect to receive an “excellent” rating from the EcoHomes certification system. The Castle House will have 310 apartments and retail units at the ground level.

Via Jetson Green and World Architecture News

These 5 megawatt wind turbines are the latest to be raised in the Netherlands, you can read more about these turbines here.

This is an interesting concept called the HyperGreen Tower by Jacques Ferrier, which was recently submitted to an architectural competition in Paris. The 246 meter tower design has an unusual curving exterior lattice facade made out of concrete that acts as the building’s primary structural system. This allows for adaptable floor plates and vegetated sky lobbies that sit between the tower’s facade and interior office space.

The image above shows the array of wind turbines on the tower’s roof.

The green highlights of the HyperGreen Tower include integrated solar cells, wind turbines, a rain water harvesting system and a geothermal heating system.

Via: Jetson Green