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Vertical axis wind turbines are an intriguing technology that most people still know little about. The turbines we are accustomed to use blades to turn a horizontal axis (which is often housed in the little cupola on the top of the turbine’s tall stem). Vertical axis turbines turn a vertical shaft (picture a barber’s pole) to generate power. Helix Wind, a US maker of some very slick looking vertical axis wind turbines, has struck a deal with a West African telecom company to power cell phone towers with wind. This allows the towers to operate autonomously without transmission lines or diesel generators. Via:treehugger
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Popularity: 6% [?]
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by Camille Ricketts
HelioFocus is taking solar thermal energy one step further — by adding wind. The system, described in a profile on Greentech Media, is a six-story high dish (not unlike the mirrored dishes used in other solar thermal arrays, only massive), that beams highly-concentrated sunlight into a receiver. That receiver, in turn, heats a batch of air to nearly 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, then shoots it through a gas turbine (the basis of jet engines). Via: GreenBeat
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Popularity: 7% [?]
(1,387 views)
The Aero Filter by Darren Chan
Westminster University School of Architecture
Tutors Andrei Martin, Andrew Yau
Looking into future development trends and issues related to high density within the city, the project explores architectural solutions that focus on dealing with air pollution and the lack of sustainable energy. The proposal is a design for a sustainable skyscraper cluster that has integrated vertical wind-turbine technologies and parametric systems inspired from the “dandelion”. The building form, components and structure incorporates many techniques that maximize wind reception efficiency, performing like a mega-scale air-purification system for London. read more
Popularity: 10% [?]
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This is the proposal from BSC Architecture (Timothy Bade, Jane Stageberg, + Martin Cox) for this years MoMA/P.S.1 Young Architects Program. They were one of the finalists along with Indie Architecture, L.E.F.T. + PARA-Project. read more
Popularity: 13% [?]
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Whales’ and dolphins’ speed and agility are wondrous to behold — finely tuned by evolution for efficiency and maneuverability in the water. Now researchers are working to translate these animals’ natural innovations into manmade technologies on land, air and sea.Frank Fish of West Chester University in Pennsylvania began to study the humpback whale fin while on vacation in Boston in the early 1980s, where he saw a statue of a humpback whale in a shop in Quincy Market. He assumed it was sculpted incorrectly, because the figure showed bumps along the front edge of the flipper. read more
Popularity: 14% [?]
