Wind turbine trees
- Zech
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Wind turbine trees
I just heard about these wind turbines designed to look like trees, for use in cities. Being small, they work at lower wind speeds than big turbines, and they're quiet, too (the manufacturers claim they're silent):
http://www.treehugger.com/wind-technolo ... ments.html
It seems like a nice idea, but with very low energy output (3 kW) I can't think these will make a serious contribution to electricity generation. I tried to find some information on the embodied energy needed to make them, but it doesn't look like anyone's calculated that yet.
http://www.treehugger.com/wind-technolo ... ments.html
It seems like a nice idea, but with very low energy output (3 kW) I can't think these will make a serious contribution to electricity generation. I tried to find some information on the embodied energy needed to make them, but it doesn't look like anyone's calculated that yet.
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Rachel
Take nobody's word for it, especially not mine! If I offer you an ID of something based on a photo, please treat it as a guess, and a starting point for further investigations.
My blog: http://growingthingsandmakingthings.blogspot.com/
Rachel
Take nobody's word for it, especially not mine! If I offer you an ID of something based on a photo, please treat it as a guess, and a starting point for further investigations.
My blog: http://growingthingsandmakingthings.blogspot.com/
- diggernotdreamer
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Re: Wind turbine trees
I saw this somewhere else, they are manufactured by a French company who had a lot of data on their website, but I don't do French. Anyway, the cost 29,000 euro put me off, even thought they look pretty
Re: Wind turbine trees
bet they don't work anywhere near as well as claimed .... vertical axis!
look up the warwick wind trials
look up the warwick wind trials
- Green Aura
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Re: Wind turbine trees
Vertical axis wind turbines, while not as efficient as horizontal, perform much better than horizontal in areas of turbulence - such as built up areas. I'm guessing these have been designed for urban situations so vertical axis would be more suitable.
Whether they'd get planning permission over here is another matter, of course.
Whether they'd get planning permission over here is another matter, of course.
Maggie
Never doubt that you can change history. You already have. Marge Piercy
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anais Nin
Never doubt that you can change history. You already have. Marge Piercy
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anais Nin
Re: Wind turbine trees
Around here,a small turbine powers many of the road signs.I've never heard them criticized for their appearance.Why would they be more of an eyesore than powerlines,neon signs,inhabitants of Kidderminster etc..?
- Green Aura
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Re: Wind turbine trees
I agree, OJ. I think the sight of a wind farm quite beautiful, but I think I'm in a minority. East of here (by some way fortunately) is Dounreay. As You come over a hill you see the nuclear power station that's currently being decommissioned and behind it a lovely little wind farm.
It makes me feel hopeful that it's the past and the future.
It makes me feel hopeful that it's the past and the future.
Maggie
Never doubt that you can change history. You already have. Marge Piercy
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anais Nin
Never doubt that you can change history. You already have. Marge Piercy
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anais Nin
- doofaloofa
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Re: Wind turbine trees
Try out this concept...
Two alternators anchored to the floor either side of a tree, conected by a cable fixed to the top of the tree
as the wind blows the tree the cable turns the alternators and generates electricity
Two alternators anchored to the floor either side of a tree, conected by a cable fixed to the top of the tree
as the wind blows the tree the cable turns the alternators and generates electricity
ina wrote: die dümmsten Bauern haben die dicksten Kartoffeln
- Zech
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Re: Wind turbine trees
That's 3kW for the whole tree of 72 turbines, not per turbine! It didn't sound like a very bold claim to me. Also, I couldn't find any mention of vertical axis turbines on the Warwick wind trials website - did I miss it somewhere?dave45 wrote:bet they don't work anywhere near as well as claimed .... vertical axis!
When we lived in East Anglia, we could see a wind farm from our house. Neighbours down the road couldn't see it because there were houses in the way, and they were jealous of our view. Seriously, there is nothing else to look at in those parts (and that's with Ely Cathedral in the view, as a blip on the horizon). Here in Wales, it's a different story. Personally, I don't think wind farms spoil the view, but they're certainly visible from a long way away, and a new wind farm brings new pylons, which people also object to.
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Rachel
Take nobody's word for it, especially not mine! If I offer you an ID of something based on a photo, please treat it as a guess, and a starting point for further investigations.
My blog: http://growingthingsandmakingthings.blogspot.com/
Rachel
Take nobody's word for it, especially not mine! If I offer you an ID of something based on a photo, please treat it as a guess, and a starting point for further investigations.
My blog: http://growingthingsandmakingthings.blogspot.com/
Re: Wind turbine trees
VAWTs are more "kinetic sculptures" than energy generators... there weren't any in the Warwick wind trials coz they are even more useless than the domestic HAWTs. have a browse through http://www.wind-works.org/cms/index.php?id=116
Small domestic wind is hopeless unless you have ideal conditions and deep pockets - check out small wind guru Hugh Pigott's website http://www.scoraigwind.com/rooftop.html
Small domestic wind is hopeless unless you have ideal conditions and deep pockets - check out small wind guru Hugh Pigott's website http://www.scoraigwind.com/rooftop.html