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

[img]http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110416110810/half-life/en/images/7/7e/E3_Hydra_tunnels.jpg[/img] First thing that popped in my head when I saw it.

Hmm I have an idea, we take cooling towers for nuclear reactors. Then we cover the cooling tower inside and out with those, the rising steam + thermal updrafts will make some power, and the additional wind on the outside will also harvest additional power.

Anyone else thought about the bladeless fans? Have they actually been in use anywhere?

Looks like something you'd see in the Half-Life universe. Pretty cool.

Earth's pubic hair...

I can't wait to see earth's happy trail.

Is it affected by the wind? [I]Cover it in energy producing hair![/I] I can see it now! Skyscrapers as far as the eye can see, each bristling with electro-follicles! Contests to produce the best building hairstyle! Save power and money in [I]style![/I]

[QUOTE=S31-Syntax;35818461]Is it affected by the wind? [I]Cover it in energy producing hair![/I] I can see it now! Skyscrapers as far as the eye can see, each bristling with electro-follicles! Contests to produce the best building hairstyle! Save power and money in [I]style![/I][/QUOTE] Imagine paragliding into a building covered with wavy tentacles of power and getting impaled by them.

I'm pretty sure geothermal energy is waaay better in the long run.

[QUOTE=Snake7;35817708]It looks like the earth is finally growing pubes.[/QUOTE] The earth has grown into a new age, a more moody angsty age that never wants to get out of bed.

I am going to guess that this will either never be built, or be abandoned after getting built. Call me a pessimist, but that is what happened to those world islands, and that super high skyscraper that is almost completely bankrupt. Dang it, why do I get a depressing pageking?

[QUOTE=_Kent_;35818659]I am going to guess that this will either never be built, or be abandoned after getting built. Call me a pessimist, but that is what happened to those world islands, and that super high skyscraper that is almost completely bankrupt. Dang it, why do I get a depressing pageking?[/QUOTE] Pretty sure they're still making those.

...you mean we're not running these in reverse? [img]http://i.imgur.com/gA6iB.jpg[/img] On a serious note: I thought pumping water uphill and then recovering the energy later by running it through turbines was very inefficient?

[QUOTE=zombini;35817875]I hope they don't become self-aware and start attacking us, Xen tree style.[/QUOTE] urmph Fuck you, I can't stop itching now. [B]Why am I itching, why?[/B]

nothing will ever beat wind turbines in terms of aesthetics

Honestly the problem with wind energy is not the looks or the dangers of spinning blades. The problem is that it's very inefficient(even in the windiest of places it won't always blow) and very location sensitive. Wind energy is also unreliable and the output fluctuates way too much which means it will always need to be regulated and backed up with fast-to-start power like diesel generators. Even when things work optimally, it's still more difficult to feed power to the grid from dozens(or hundreds) of small generators instead of just one or a few big ones. I don't see these things improving upon any of the real issues. My gut tells me it's probably worse. Expensive carbon fibre sticks that likely don't catch the wind with any good efficiency and probably need replacing relatively often. Also, the whole idea of using piezoelectrics to produce electricity at this scale just sounds ridiculous. All we're waiting for is fusion and we'll be fine until then with advanced fission(thorium and breeders if certain issues, including political ones, are solved).

Wind turbines also make quite a lot of sound, there's a petition going around in my town to prevent some being build right next to us. The problem is that they make this whoosh sound all the time, which can be very annoying obviously.

[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 [B]breeze[/B][/QUOTE] [video=youtube;ZQg8JKo_3ZQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQg8JKo_3ZQ[/video]

[QUOTE=LilRobot;35817658]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] Relevant [URL=http://imgur.com/cHiw0][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/cHiw0.png[/IMG][/URL]

By the general laws of physics, the shit shown atleast in the pictures wont work at all

I fucking hate standing under a wind turbine. Dunno about standing under a giant hair though.

Guys Listen Guys I have an idea what if we no seriously what if we what if we put a giant sail attached to something and then we install a turbine in the center of the earth and then when the sail starts to make the earth spin faster, the turbine generates more energy

[QUOTE=Night-Eagle;35818972]...you mean we're not running these in reverse? [img]http://i.imgur.com/gA6iB.jpg[/img] On a serious note: I thought pumping water uphill and then recovering the energy later by running it through turbines was very inefficient?[/QUOTE] It is, but if the energy isn't used otherwise (at night for example) it's better to use it then waste it.

Those are good news because we know how dangerous the blades can be. [img]http://i.imgur.com/KWFTb.png[/img]

They look kinda futuristic. I like em.

Looks like something out of The Matrix. Creepy but awesome.

For some reason those pictures scare me. Reminds me of a bunch of slender men standing around. :(

Put it on buildings rather than fields.

[QUOTE=pawelte1;35820955]Those are good news because we know how dangerous the blades can be. [img]http://i.imgur.com/KWFTb.png[/img][/QUOTE] I actually just did a paper on this. Windmills cause less then 1% of the total death ratio by unnatural deaths. In Comparison, Radio towers do about 15%. Windows....55%. The bigger threat is Bats, when the blades spin they create this area of sudden low pressure. Bats lungs can't compensate so their lungs explode due to barutrauma.

[QUOTE=pawelte1;35820955]Those are good news because we know how dangerous the blades can be. [img]http://i.imgur.com/KWFTb.png[/img][/QUOTE] "kills fewer than 13,000 people per year" phew, that's alright then