Kite Power

October 23, 2009 by kris de decker Filed Under: Kites, Wind Power, Wind turbines

Kitegen 1

Italian company Kite Gen is building a full-scale 3 megawatt version (video) of its promising wind turbine concept, we learn from MetaEfficient. A large kite is drawn upward to altitudes around 800 metres, where average wind speeds are four times as strong as they are near ground-based wind turbines. The kites power turbines by rising and flying back to gound level continuously. The retrieval phase is said to require a small fraction of the power that is generated during the flight. A first prototype was built in 2006. One of the recent improvements is an automatic launching system, powered by fans. The technology generated an interesting discussion at the Oil Drum last summer. Previously: Floating windmills – energy from the clouds. Related: Kiteboating & Kite Aerial Photography.

Scale Models of Dutch Windmills

October 8, 2009 by kris de decker Filed Under: DIY, Random, Scale models, Wind Power, Windmills, Wood

scale model dutch windmill

Penterbak shows a dozen scale models of traditional Dutch Windmills. The text is in Dutch, but that should not stop you. Above: a saw mill. Some building plans are here, here and here. Related: Wind powered factories – the history (and future?) of industrial windmills.

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DIY Low-Tech Windmills

October 3, 2009 by kris de decker Filed Under: Africa, DIY, Wind Power, Windmills

DIY low-tech windmills

Low-tech energy revolution in Africa by William Kamkwamba and the Moving Windmills Project. Simple diagram (pdf). Image by Tom Rielly (TED).

Wind-Powered Knitting Machine

August 31, 2009 by kris de decker Filed Under: Random, Wind Power, Windmills

wind powered knitting machine

Finally, a real-world use for small windmills: the wind-powered knitting machine.

Guido Vigevano’s Wind Car (1335)

July 16, 2009 by kris de decker Filed Under: Inventions that never made it, Low-tech cars, Military technology, Random, Travel, War technology, Warfare, Weapons, Wind Power, Wind powered vehicles, Windmills

Guido Vigevano’s Wind Car

“Chapter XII. On the way of making a second waggon which is propelled by the wind without draught animals, and which dashes violently over open country to the confusion of all troops”

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The Folly of Building-Integrated Wind

May 6, 2009 by kris de decker Filed Under: Ecotech Myths, Wind Power, Wind turbines

Building integrated wind

“The study found that predicted performance exceeded actual performance by a factor of 15 to 17. With the worst-performing systems, the electricity required to run the electronics exceeded the electricity production, so the wind turbines were net consumers of electricity”. Read.

Thanks, Brent Eubanks. Related: Small windmills put to the test / Urban Windmills harm the environment.