New Generator Wind Turbine Efficiency 50%+
 

"A startup company based in Vancouver has developed a new kind of generator that could harvest much more energy from the wind. The design could not only lower the cost of wind turbines but increase their power output by 50 percent to as much as 100 percent, in some locations. Normally, when wind speeds drop, a turbine's engine becomes less efficient. The new engine, from ExRo Technologies, runs efficiently over a wider range of conditions. The design replaces a mechanical transmission with what amounts to an electronic one. Magnets attached to a rotating shaft create a current, but individual coils can be turned on and off electronically at different wind speeds." The company will begin field-testing a small, 5KW wind turbine by early next year.

Found on this website: Slashdot | New Generator Boosts Wind Turbine Efficiency 50%

Thank you Slashdot!!! News for Nerds!

This type of breakthrough is so crucial in these times of needed alternative energies. I hope these generators make their way into other facets of electrical usage, automobiles anyone?

Funny -

Cool Beans! I'm gonna keep an eye on this.

CarloSW2

Hi,

This is good news. Here's direct links:

Technology Review: Better Wind Turbines

Exro

Looks good for wind power, but I don't see the potential advantage for autos. :confused:

Nice idea. Sounds a bit cheaper than transmissions and fancy blade setups.

I guess of you were going beltless for your alternator, you could hoist this above your car and generate power to charge your battery(s) while you were parked... hmmm :rolleyes:

How about for recharging electric car batteries.:thumbup:

Yes! We're 50% closer to an EV that can recharge itself on the highway!!

If reading the patent for this "polyphasie multi-coil generator" is your thang, go to
Polyphasic multi-coil generator - Google Patents


U.S. Patent # 7081696 :turtle:

Yep, here's the latest ingnorant comment about my electric car.

"i don't know w whole lot about wind power but what if you used a vertical wind turbine laid on it's side on the roof, kinda like a spoiler. A 30 mile an hour wind might be enough to keep the batteries charged depending on the generator and such."

Hmm - people like to try to beat the laws of thermo-dynamics.

Seriously, put up a wind turbine near your garage. Use it to charge your electric car batteries.

Try making GASOLINE from the wind!

"A startup company based in Vancouver has developed a new kind of generator that could harvest much more energy from the wind. The design could not only lower the cost of wind turbines but increase their power output by 50 percent to as much as 100 percent, in some locations."

It is not only in Vancouver developments are happening. There is a massive investment being made in wind energy in Ireland as they believe the wind from the Atlantic can generate enough power to service the needs of the country. Nuclear was never an option for Ireland and they don't see enough sun to invest in solar. Wave is several years away as the cost is extreme. Governments are increasingly giving grants for home installations and in the UK there is a strong movement to these alternative sources of energy

I always thought that it was the prop of the turbine that limited output the most, not the alternator.
Maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention in the wind turbine design class.

"The design could not only lower the cost of wind turbines but increase their power output by 50 percent to as much as 100 percent, in some locations."

Um, I didn't read the article, but this quoted claim is *highly* questionable in my opinion. Show me ANY mechanical energy conversion process that is 100 percent efficient (100 kilowatts go in, 100 kilowatts come out) and I will eat my hat. That is literally IMPOSSIBLE without breaking the laws of thermodynamics.

Now, I'm not saying that perhaps they have achieved an efficiency breakthrough (50% would definitely qualify as a breakthrough) but hyperbole is very bad for the cause.

I guess I need to read the article.

Eric

It says increase efficiency BY 50-100%, which is very different than saying it is 50 or 100% efficient. So, if the old turbines were 30% efficient (pulling a number out of the air!), then this new generator would be 45-60% efficient; which is a 50-100% increase in efficiency...

Yes, you do. They said that the turbine would harvest 50% to 100% more wind, due to it being able to operate in a wider range of wind speeds.

It's good to see some progress in the wind turbine world though.
Wind turbines just got more attractive with this technology. Too bad it'll take forever to be available:turtle:

ollie

Ohhhhhhh.... duh... Thanks for setting me straight folks... Now that is a lot more reasonable... :)

I can't wait for this to go mainstream. Keep me informed.

A generator with a wider range of efficient operation is certainly nice. Not to hijack the topic, but I think that in the long range we will see tower-based turbines replaced by kites. The general field is aptly named AWE - Airborne Wind Energy. Development is still in the pre-cambrian period of trying all possible arrangements, sometimes backed by strongly-held opinions.
Given the need to match wind power to demand, we might also see rapid development of wind-powered pumps to replenish existing hydroelectric sites, using them as giant batteries. This may make up for reduced river flows, and keep existing infrastructure at capacity.