AVILA, Spain – Salvation comes in all shapes and sizes, and it seems, to the benefit of humans and wildlife, the next innovative leap forward in sustainable energy could be a suggestively shaped bladeless wind turbine. The novel technology has been created by Vortex Bladeless, a tech startup based in Avila, Spain, who describe their design as “a vortex-induced vibration resonant wind generator.” They hope that their new design can bring wind energy to residential areas, as it can function using generators or solar panels as well as connecting to the electrical grid.
A quick recap for wind energy novices: Wind farms are populated with wind turbines which, instead of using electricity to spin, use wind. As the propeller-like blades spin like a fan, it turns a rotor which spins a generator and creates electricity. The sustainable source of energy unfortunately isn’t without its flaws, with the death of wildlife being quite high on the list. Preventative measures to protect them have included painting one blade black or using smart cameras to stop and start the turbines, but neither is a perfect solution.
Enter our vibrator-lookalike power tool: The Vortex Bladeless Turbine. The wobbling pylon isn’t technically a turbine as it doesn’t rotate or spin an alternator in the same way bladed wind turbines do. Instead, it relies on vortex shedding (the swirly shapes made by air and liquids when they hit a solid, blunt object) to harness wind energy.
To read more, click on https://www.iflscience.com/environment/new-bladeless-turbine-may-look-nsfw-but-could-be-the-future-of-wind-power/
