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Friday, February 25, 2011

wind energy idea

This drivel describes an idea I had for wind energy. Traveling through the heartland of the United States, you will surely notice the massive wind turbines that are popping up along the interstates. These structures are so incredible, I find myself not paying as close attention to the road as I should. In looking at these enormous structures, I noticed that the design seems to prefer a long and narrow blade. I'm sure there are exhaustive studies on the most efficient way to gain energy from wind, and I'm sure these folks have settled on the best solution.




However, what if you instead started with a 20 foot high cement tunnel that tapers in like a funnel toward the center as the tunnel continues. Within this tunnel, you could set up a drum that has blades that get smaller as the tunnel tapers in more. Would this effectively increase the effective pressure on the blades, therefore generating more electricity? Furthermore, as the funnel becomes tighter, wouldn't you have a jet effect, increasing the amount of effective pressure on the blades? I just thought of this because it seems like so much wind is wasted by just running across wide open spaces. If we could concentrate it, and use it along the axis it is blowing instead on one plane where it is used and lost, it may be more efficient. I welcome your comments if I'm way of on the physics of things.

Crude image below. Ha, Enjoy!

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