As wind power continues to grow in popularity across the planet, despite governmental roadblocks from political disagreement in the U.S., it's only natural that innovations would follow close behind in an effort to increase efficiency and output while reducing cost.
Some of these innovators have set their sights on the largest wind turbines, while others are focusing on the smallest — and others are even introducing a new kind of turbine.
Drones that can literally fly like hawks
All the technological advancements we can muster are nothing compared to millions of years of evolution. That's why researchers at the University of Surrey in England took cues from nature's birds of prey — specifically owls and hawks — to design new fixed-wing drones.
The project, called Learning2Fly, uses machine learning to teach drones the flying skills of those predators to more precisely navigate tight spaces and turbulent winds when inspecting vast wind farms. This could lead to more efficient data collection and maintenance, and a reduced cost of energy.
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Low-profile turbines
Wind turbines have continually grown larger over the years, but startup Airloom Energy is taking things in a different direction. In fact, it's redesigning how wind power is generated altogether. Its design features 82-foot-tall poles situated in an oval shape holding a cable with 33-foot-long blades attached, catching wind and generating torque that's converted into energy.
According to Airloom, the design is cheaper to manufacture, ship, install, and maintain, and could slash costs by up to 66%. Whether or not this design is practical and scalable remains to be seen, but a pilot program is currently underway in Oklahoma.
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The world's biggest wind farm
China already boasts the world's largest wind turbine on the planet, but why stop there? Huaneng, one of the country's largest power developers, has unveiled plans for infrastructure that could support a 35-megawatt offshore turbine.
The site will include a massive foundation, a lifting platform, and worker facilities. Although it will be built to handle a 35-megawatt turbine, a 26-megawatt turbine will be tested first and combined with a five/10-megawatt storage system.
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'Flow control'
Independent energy expert DNV has discovered how existing wind farms can generate more energy without any major retrofits. The project proves how wind farm flow control can increase efficiency and output by adjusting the positioning and settings of individual turbines. This reduces turbulence and improves airflow, allowing for the capture of more energy.
The ability to capture more wind and generate more energy without having to build additional turbines could significantly reduce operating costs, which, ideally, would translate into cheaper energy costs for consumers.
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Hilltops ⛰️ Powering electronics with a gentle breeze
Massive wind turbines used to power cities require a significant amount of wind to turn and generate power — this is a little simpler than that. This breeze catcher, developed by researchers in India, requires only a flutter to generate power, albeit a relatively small amount.
The design is fairly simple. A flexible plate with a piezoelectric sheet is attached to a cylinder. As the wind passes by the cylinder, it causes the plate to move, generating energy. The device kept 20 LEDs continuously lit. While the output isn't much, it could serve practical purposes in rural and hard-to-reach areas.
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