Proposed Alternative Energy Design is Wind Power - Without the Blades - Polidicks

[URL="http://news.discovery.com/tech/wind-power-without-the-blades.html?fb_ref=fb2&fb_source=home_multiline"][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/bZ2DJ.png</a><a href=http://news.discovery.com/tech/wind-power-without-the-blades.html?fb_ref=fb2&fb_source=home_multiline target=_blank>[/IMG][/URL] [quote]Noise from wind turbine blades, inadvertent bat and bird kills and even the way wind turbines look have made installing them anything but a breeze. New York design firm Atelier DNA has an alternative concept that ditches blades in favor of stalks. Resembling thin cattails, the Windstalks generate electricity when the wind sets them waving. The designers came up with the idea for the planned city Masdar, a 2.3-square-mile, automobile-free area being built outside of Abu Dhabi. Atelier DNA’s "Windstalk"project came in second in the [URL="http://www.landartgenerator.org/competition.html"]Land Art Generator [/URL]competition a contest sponsored by Madsar to identify the best work of art that generates renewable energy from a pool of international submissions. The proposed design calls for 1,203 "“stalks," each 180-feet high with concrete bases that are between about 33- and 66-feet wide. The carbon-fiber stalks, reinforced with resin, are about a foot wide at the base tapering to about 2 inches at the top. Each stalk will contain alternating layers of electrodes and ceramic discs made from piezoelectric material, which generates a current when put under pressure. In the case of the stalks, the discs will compress as they sway in the wind, creating a charge. “The idea came from trying to find kinetic models in nature that could be tapped to produce energy,” explained [URL="http://atelierdna.com/"]Atelier DNA[/URL] founding partner Darío Núñez-Ameni. In the proposal for Masdar, the Windstalk wind farm spans 280,000 square feet. Based on rough estimates, said Núñez-Ameni the output would be comparable to that of a conventional wind farm covering the same area. “Our system is very efficient in that there is no friction loss associated with more mechanical systems such as conventional wind turbines,” he said. Each base is slightly different, and is sloped so that rain will funnel into the areas between the concrete to help plants grow wild. These bases form a sort of public park space and serve a technological purpose. Each one contains a torque generator that converts the kinetic energy from the stalk into energy using shock absorber cylinders similar to the kind being developed by Cambridge, Massachusetts-based [URL="http://www.levantpower.com/"]Levant Power [/URL]. Wind isn’t constant, though, so Núñez-Ameni says two large chambers below the whole site will work like a battery to store energy. The idea is based on existing hydroelectric pumped storage systems. Water in the upper chamber will flow through turbines to the lower chamber, releasing stored energy until the wind starts up again. The top of each tall stalk has an LED lamp that glows when the wind is blowing -- more intensely during strong winds and not all when the air is still. The firm anticipates that the stalks will behave naturally, vibrating and fluttering in the air. “Windstalk is completely silent, and the image associated with them is something we're already used to seeing in a field of wheat or reeds in a marsh. Our hope is that people living close to them will like to walk through the field -- especially at night -- under their own, private sky of swarming stars,” said Núñez-Ameni. After completion, a Windstalk should be able to produce as much electricity as a single wind turbine, with the advantage that output could be increased with a denser array of stalks. Density is not possible with conventional turbines, which need to be spaced about three times the rotor's diameter in order to avoid air turbulence. But Windstalks work on chaos and turbulence so they can be installed much closer together, said Núñez-Ameni. Núñez-Ameni also reports that the firm is currently working on taking the Windstalk idea underwater. Called Wavestalk, the whole system would be inverted to harness energy from the flow of ocean currents and waves. The firm’s long-term goal is to build a large system in the United States, either on land or in the water. [/quote] [QUOTE][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/hpArL.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/UKt9o.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/amkbO.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]

I personally think that those look uglier than wind turbines. Just my opinion.

the wind turbines are going to take over the world don't believe anything they tell you these look very cool though if you ask me

[QUOTE=valkery;35817642]I personally think that those look uglier than wind turbines. Just my opinion.[/QUOTE] 1/10 STALKS TOO UGLY SHUT DOWN THE WHOLE PROJECT

Those are really odd looking

[QUOTE=valkery;35817642]I personally think that those look uglier than wind turbines. Just my opinion.[/QUOTE] AESTHETICS > BENEFIT TO THE WORLD BOMB-PROOF LOGIC

They look like hair......

That's really cool. I imagine cheaper to install and maintain than the wind turbines.

[QUOTE=Sleepy Head;35817674]AESTHETICS > BENEFIT TO THE WORLD BOMB-PROOF LOGIC[/QUOTE] he never said that

[QUOTE=valkery;35817642]I personally think that those look uglier than wind turbines. Just my opinion.[/QUOTE] so?

that's a really creative but uncanny way to replace wind turbines

These look kinda cool...but at the same time I could see being in a "field" of them really unsettling for some reason. Not sure why exactly, but I'd just feel uneasy around them. Oh well, they look like they could be a good alternative to turbines, and if they work as well as the designers claim it'd be cool to see them put into production.

I think this looks promising, I wonder how long before we see them out and about.

It looks like the earth is finally growing pubes.

[QUOTE=BldrGyMnGy;35817662]1/10 STALKS TOO UGLY SHUT DOWN THE WHOLE PROJECT[/QUOTE] lol because that's exactly what he said 10/10 flawless post they look like shit but if they work, then that's a 10/10. Functionality over fashion.

[QUOTE=J!NX;35817717]lol because that's exactly what he said 10/10 flawless post they look like shit but if they work, then that's a 10/10. Functionality over fashion.[/QUOTE] I don't think they look that bad, better than a turbine in my opinion. Individually they look weird but I like the way that large group looks.

[QUOTE=SuperDuperScoot;35817677]They look like hair......[/QUOTE] We can now know what it feels like to be head lice.

I think they look pretty good, like some sort of alien forest. It would be nice to see these be utilized.

[QUOTE=imptastick;35817742]I don't think they look that bad, better than a turbine in my opinion. Individually they look weird but I like the way that large group looks.[/QUOTE] I actually find wind turbines to be very scenic, like a modern version of Dutch windmills.

[QUOTE] The top of each tall stalk has an LED lamp that glows when the wind is blowing -- more intensely during strong winds and not all when the air is still. The firm anticipates that the stalks will behave naturally, vibrating and fluttering in the air.[/QUOTE] Holy crap that would look amazing on a windy night from above or below.

[QUOTE=Mingebox;35817806]I actually find wind turbines to be very scenic, like a modern version of Dutch windmills.[/QUOTE] Different strokes for different folks I guess; I am not sure why but they just look unpleasant to me.

Looks like a forest from Alien Planet.

Those remind me of the black xen hair things from half-life. [thumb]http://images.wikia.com/half-life/en/images/7/70/Ba_xen20005.jpg[/thumb]

[QUOTE=Daniel Smith;35817851]Those remind me of the black xen hair things from half-life. [/QUOTE] I hope they don't become self-aware and start attacking us, Xen tree style.

I have seen this news somewhere like 6-7 months ago. Anyway, it's a cool design.

[QUOTE=imptastick;35817742]I don't think they look that bad, better than a turbine in my opinion. Individually they look weird but I like the way that large group looks.[/QUOTE] it looks too alien really, the classical ones are just so... classic, and so pretty. They don't look super bad, but the others look way cooler.

I prefer the wind turbines over these in terms of aesthetics, but if these are more effective then I'm all for it.

Soon the earth will have a mullet. Awesome.

It would be cool if we could make dandelion shapes out of them.

[QUOTE=Dr. Evilcop;35817686]That's really cool. I imagine cheaper to install and maintain than the wind turbines.[/QUOTE] Did you even read what goes into these things? I highly doubt they will be cheaper to build and install but maintaining them should be cheaper yes. I think they would look better if they weren't all the same height and instead there was the odd really tall one and a few in between, like real cattails.