ducted turbine

A company named Marquiss Wind Power has successfully finished raising $1.3 million for development of its Ducted Wind Turbines. Unlike their much larger counterparts, ducted turbines are boxy and stand about 19ft tall. Despite what appears to be aerodynamic disadvantages, this shape actually allows the turbine to re-orient itself according to the direction of air flow; something that can be a bit random in urban centers. The ducting is intended to increase wind speed as it approaches the blades. According to the website, these factors combine to allow the power output from the MWP turbine to exceed that of any traditionally designed comparable turbine. From the article,

At the moment, two models are sold — one intended for areas with wind speeds of 6-10 mph, and another for higher average speeds. The turbines are intended for buildings between one and three stories tall.

It sure ain’t elegant — but there’s a lot of science at play with this design. I especially like that AeropointT500 can operate in low wind speeds. I have no ideas on price — but hopefully that $1.3 million will go a long way to fleshing this product out a bit more. - http://www.groovygreen.com/groove/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/ducted.jpg

v wing turbine

he newly formed Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) has begun its search for green technology energy solutions in Britain this week. Britain’s Science and Innovation Minister, Lord Drayson, announced the first four recipients of funding from ETI. Among them is the funding for research and development of the V-wing Turbine. The V-wing Turbine is a massive and unconventional wind turbine that uses a large pair of vertical wings to generate wind energy.

Along with the V-wing turbine, the other funding recipients include research into a floating offshore wind turbine for use in away from the coast in the ocean -http://www.windpowerninja.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/v-wing-wind-turbine.jpg

rhino scripts and v-ray

Exploring Rhino scripts in order to gain a form that is good for capturing wind and acts as a form that can be multiplied a number of times that interlock and spin independently yet may cause each other to spin around the connecting cylinder through a mechanical system. Therefore when the wind is not as strong they continue to spin much like a pendulum using a series of weights that pull the connecting system around.

Also these pictures show the difference in rendering techniques. Previous blogs were created using the generic Rhino4.0 renderer. These meshes and views of the city were rendered using the v-ray plugin. They create much better shadows. A rather more complex setup method is required but once one model is created you can simply import your next model into the correct environment. The options of selecting the appropriate sun in terms of where the model is located is also very helpful.

proposal

Experimenting with a number of forms and placing them between the proposed buildings for the wind turbine.