The design looked to me like a load of those vibrating poles but mounted on a raised track. But it seems that the blades actually travel around the track.
The claims about costs seem insanely generous, but I do appreciate that making it easier to move the parts of a conventional HAWT is reall tricky, plus the heavy equipment and cranes for assembly.
But .......... I'm not convinced, till we hear/see these operating economically.
[Edit - Just thought, this has probably been posted before by someone, and I've missed it.]
If you’re on the lookout for crazy looking wind turbines, look no farther. At this stage of development, the Airloom concept looks more like a rather aggressive clothesline rather than a device for harvesting wind energy.
Instead of mounting massive blades on gigantic turbine towers, the Airloom device consists of 10-meter wings that travel along a lightweight track, supported by a series of poles that are only 25 meters high. Depending on the desired scale, the track can range in length from meters to miles. The height of the track can also vary.
The low-profile arrangement runs counter to the trend of wind turbines that reach high into skies with longer blades to capture the most efficient wind resources. However, depending on the landscape, local wind conditions, and neighbors, a more modest silhouette could open up a wide range of new sites where conventional turbines are either impractical or restricted by local laws.
Here’s What Airloom Says
Bizarre-looking it may be, but Airloom’s test-scale device was enough to convince Breakthrough and other investors. The cash infusion will enable Airloom to scale up from the current development phase of 50 kilowatts, leading to megawatt-scale devices and full deployment in wind farms where megawatts are counted by the hundreds.
If all goes according to plan, Airloom calculates that its wind farms can be built for less than 25% of the cost to build a conventional wind project. That may seem over-ambitious, but the company estimates that its device costs less than 10% of the cost of comparable wind turbines.
Re: New on-shore wind turbine idea (Yep, another one)
Posted: Fri Nov 03, 2023 12:54 pm
by Stinsy
You sure it isn't April 1st? I've seen some dumb designs in my time but that one is possibly the stupidest!
Re: New on-shore wind turbine idea (Yep, another one)
Posted: Fri Nov 03, 2023 5:23 pm
by Fintray
Hmm, sounds like bollocks, how does the movement of the wings transfer to electrical energy?
Re: New on-shore wind turbine idea (Yep, another one)
Posted: Fri Nov 03, 2023 6:04 pm
by Tay
It looks a bit dubious with no explanation of exactly how its supposed to work.
If I had a zillion quid and that was pitched to me, I'd be kicking arse all the way out the door.
I'm assuming that the 'wings' are affixed to the rail somehow then something must happen for the wings to turn, seems to be a fair ammount of friction there. then most interestingly they have to return as its a loop, so there must be some sort of feathering the wings option otherwise it would never return. ummm
Then there is the question of power generation, I assume there is some sort of generator 'somewhere', its suggested that there is 2 'power takeoffs' , but surely if you had 1 in each of the pillars that would provide more energy than just 2?.
Then there is the question of how fast is this thing supposed to go?
There is way too many questions for my brain to even try and comprehend how this solution is supposed to work and the scale/speed required to get anything useful out of it.
A better piccy of the 'device' which doesnt really address anything above ^^
Thanks for that link. So ...... those cost claims are really interesting, and I do appreciate the idea that not having to truck large components (WT blades and nacelles) and a giant crane, onto site, will improve economics massively ......... but I just don't buy it.
Hopefully they are on to something, but I think we've all seen too many 'brilliant new wind generation devices' to let our guard down.
Maybe, it's possible to fix a chair to the bottom of each blade, and make money selling rides?
Re: New on-shore wind turbine idea (Yep, another one)
Posted: Fri Nov 03, 2023 7:04 pm
by nowty
It looks yet another re-work of a vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT).
We will have to watch Rosie again for some reality check.
Re: New on-shore wind turbine idea (Yep, another one)
Posted: Fri Nov 03, 2023 8:05 pm
by Joeboy
Fintray wrote: ↑Fri Nov 03, 2023 5:23 pm
Hmm, sounds like bollocks, how does the movement of the wings transfer to electrical energy?
Drag, wear, sag. Varying momentary loads. Bag O...
I'd rather pull a washing machine motor from a machine dumped at an ex travelling site, that the dogs have been at, for the last two Winters and start from there.
Much appreciated though Mart.
Re: New on-shore wind turbine idea (Yep, another one)
Thanks for that link. So ...... those cost claims are really interesting, and I do appreciate the idea that not having to truck large components (WT blades and nacelles) and a giant crane, onto site, will improve economics massively ......... but I just don't buy it.
Hopefully they are on to something, but I think we've all seen too many 'brilliant new wind generation devices' to let our guard down.
Maybe, it's possible to fix a chair to the bottom of each blade, and make money selling rides?
Alas, I think thats what they call a merry go round.. or is thats whats happening here?.
I dont know, I'd like to see it in operation generating this 50kw ^^
Re: New on-shore wind turbine idea (Yep, another one)
Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2023 1:54 am
by Tay
nowty wrote: ↑Fri Nov 03, 2023 7:04 pm
It looks yet another re-work of a vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT).
We will have to watch Rosie again for some reality check.
I like her
Aussies have the natural intolerance for BS and frequently just tell it like it is. After spending 20+ years in Asia and surrounding areas its was always refreshing after dealign with Brits and Mericans.
I think we've pretty much summed up the typical Interwebs mantra.. "If its too good to be true, it usually is."
Presumably there is a bucket load of cash in the form of grants floating around for anything to do with saving the planet and much like govts of new and old its probably a case of if you don't use it you lose it. The problem for me is that when stuff like this gest reported on in mainstream or even fringe media it just kills any credibility that media might have had.
Re: New on-shore wind turbine idea (Yep, another one)
Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2023 6:58 am
by Bugtownboy
OK, I haven’t read everything about it, but I interpreted that the ‘wings’ remain vertical and move around the track, acting more like a sail than a conventional rotor blade.
Movement around the track could be converted to generation at any of the fixed points.
I know cynicism is always a hood starting point, but it would be interesting if the concept was valid
