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Posts Tagged ‘Wind’

World’s First Public Streetlight Network Powered by Sun & Wind

06 Feb

[ By WebUrbanist in Conceptual & Futuristic & Technology. ]

solar wind light

Unveiled in Spain and planned for the streets of several towns and cities, these grid-free street lighting units are completely energy-autonomous, powered by solar and wind energy without needing to be networked with primary electricity grids.

light post prototype models

While other examples of self-sufficient streetlights exist as prototypes and installation art pieces, this system is set to be the first on the planet to be installed at scale for public use.

light post real life copy

Ramon Bargalló of the Department of Electrical Engineering at the Barcelona College of Industrial Engineering (EUETIB) of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) has been working with Eolgreen, a private company, to engineer the system.

light post early prototyp

At roughly 30 feet tall, the posts feature leafy solar panels and turbines as well as built-in batteries for energy storage – relatively little wind or light are required to make the system work. Over 700 are set to be created in 2015, but the man and company behind their design are still working on increasingly efficient models for future deployment, testing and building as they proceed.

press release lamp post

From their press release: “This system, developed after four years of research, is designed for inter-urban roads, motorways, urban parks and other public areas. It is unique in the world and reduces the cost by 20% compared with conventional public lighting systems. The turbine runs at a speed of 10 to 200 revolutions per minute (rpm) and has a maximum output of 400 watts (W). An electronic control system manages the flow of energy between the solar panel, the wind turbine, the battery and the light. “

…

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Power Grows on Trees: Wind Energy via Leafy Green Turbines

19 Jan

[ By WebUrbanist in Conceptual & Futuristic & Technology. ]

urban wind farm designs

Addressing noise and visual pollution associated with wind energy generation in urban contexts, these new trunk-style towers support suspended leaf-shaped turbine housings, hung from organic-looking branches.

energy generating tree design

Inspired by the movement of leaves in the wind, New Wind founder Jérôme Michaud-Larivière developed this project with technology and aesthetics equally in mind, conceiving of the design as part public art and part civic infrastructure.

urban wind tree generator

The technology behind the design is robust, sophisticated and efficient. Even the tiniest gusts of wind (starting at a few miles per hour) will turn the small blades secreted away within each individual leaf making them well-suited to all sorts of city environments. Each blade can rotate and generate power in both directions and thus more versatile. According to New Wind, “With 72 artificial leaves serving as micro-turbines spinning on a vertical axis, the Wind Tree is designed to harness more gentle winds. The developers say this can extend to breezes blowing as slowly as two meters per second, making the turbine useful across more than 280 days of the year. Its power output is calculated at 3.1 kW.”

urban wind turbine tree

A prototype has already been deployed in Paris and the idea is to eventually roll out small pockets (or perhaps: forests) in various public spaces, from gardens and parks to squares and shopping centers. Of course, potential applications in non-urban areas exist as well, particularly as future iterations evolve even greater levels of efficiency.

urban wind tower prototype

Currently, the plan is to power street lamps or energize electric car charging stations. Eventually the hope is to add photovalics to the trunks and branches, adding energy-harvesting capacity in another form to the same structures. Ultimately, these creations may supplant the need for power grids in localized areas like parks where bringing in energy adds more infrastructure that well-placed generators could provide instead. For now, the price tag still seems a bit steep: just over $ 36,000 USD, but that could come down in time as the production process is refined and if sufficient buyers express interest in scaling the strategy.

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24 June, 2013 – The Wind River Range

24 Jun

Miles Hecker’s Geotagged location for this month is The Wind River Range.

"Michael’s and Jeff’s tutorial videos are absolutely awesome, not only because of the information transmitted but also because of the casual, conversational style which somehow really makes things stick in your memory."

…
The Luminous Landscape – What’s New

 
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Posted in News

 

Winter Paddling with Sea Wind Canoe on Horsetooth Reservoir

01 Apr

winter canoe paddling in Colorado

8 years ago, end of March, 2005 …

Sea Wind canoe was featuring in a movie clip from paddling on the Horsetooth Reservoir in a winter scenery.

I launched from Lory State Park at North Eltuck Cove and paddled south to Orchard Cove and back. Launching was fun since I didn’t have to carry the boat to the water. Water Abstracts come from the same paddling trip.

I used Canon Optura XI camcorder mounted on a regular tripod on land and on mini tripod in the front of Sea Wind.

I visited the Orchard Cove a few day later. It wasn’t that nice without snow. When the reservoir was drained during recent years most of cottonwood trees along the shores died. There were cut down and only stumps and piles of wood scraps remained. I remember paddling beyond these trees years ago when the reservoir was full.

The opening picture in this post, Sea Wind canoe in Quarry Cove of Horsetooth Reservoir, was shot on March 28, 2009 with Canon 40D on a tripod. It is one of Horsetooth pictures in my stock photography portfolio available for purchase and licensing.

Related posts:
Thunderbolt Racing Kayak and Ice in Early Spring Paddling
Icy Horsetooth Reservoir – Opening Lake Paddling Season
Paddling Horsetooth Reservoir in Winter Scenery


paddling with a camera

 
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Posted in Photography

 

Wind Shield: Invisible Air Umbrella Keeps You Dry in the Rain

29 Nov

[ By WebUrbanist in Conceptual & Futuristic & Technology. ]

Umbrellas are already halfway there: compact as possible, they deploy in a quick motion and retract almost as easily. But problems remain: they are wet when you walk indoors, and their intentionally-then structure remains fragile.

Thus the Air Umbrella (or perhaps: unbrella) by Je Sung Park & Woo Jung Kwon which forces an artificial wind up through its handle that shoots out the top and deflects incoming raindrops before they can hit your head.

Adjustable by design, the power of the air pushed through the system can be varied based on conditions or the desire to extend your protective canopy to a walking companion. Likewise, the rod you hold can telescope based on need and for portability.

The feasibility remains to be seen – one could imagine it would be difficult if even possible to produce the kind of force required, and that batteries might drain too fast for it to be broadly useful. Still, technology has a way of catching up to good design. Another point of skepticism: its creators pitch it as a green alternative to plastic bags or one-use ponchos, but what about regular umbrellas? Perhaps, depending upon the durability of the latter versus the power usage of the Air Umbrella alternative.

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Zelda: Wind Waker in 3D

26 Oct

Hey, sorry about adding the tags in so late, I have no internet! I would like to thank snes101 for sending me his save file! Enjoy!

 
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Posted in 3D Videos

 

What’s inside a wind turbine?

18 Oct

An overview of the layout of utility-class wind turbine generators – where are the major components, what do they do, and what differences can be found between models and size ranges.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

 
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Posted in Animation Videos

 

“Wind Turbine” “VAWT” “Wind Gin” Long Version

05 Nov

“VAWT” “Wind Turbine” Feel “free” to use any of these “concepts” in your “windmill” designs. The wing or plate that swings on a vertical rod has been around forever and the rest are just “conceptual designs” that I came up with. An engineer proficient using AVIs stress analysis application could determine structural integrity issues using these drawings. Who knows; maybe someone will perfect this “design concept” and build them to the same height as the large HAWTs. I (think) “Vertical Axis Wind Turbines” have the leverage potential to produce more power at lower wind speeds. I am amazed by the large HAWTs and many of the modern VAWTs but I hope that engineers, innovators and last but not least, financial risk takers will continue to find ways to lower the required wind speed. Constructive comments are welcomed. If you do not have any, Yes We Can! works for me. Thanks for viewing.

 
25 Comments

Posted in Animation Videos

 

YT3D Stereoscopic 3D Video “The Wind” (Aiptek I2 HD 3D Camcorder)

01 Apr

Here is a video I made to test out the Aiptek I2 HD 3D camcorder. It was shot at Nathanael Greene Park in Springfield Missouri. The goal of this project was to shoot and edit a stereoscopic video in less than 3 hours, I was rendering when time ran out so there are no title credits. If you have questions feel free to ask I will do my best to answer, PLEASE RATE AND SUBCRIBE! The Music is “Sapphire Isle” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons “Attribution 3.0” creativecommons.org
Video Rating: 5 / 5

Meant to be Seen’s CEO shares a few words, talks about Avatar: The Game and Resident Evil 5, gives a tour of his office, and more. Lots of fun!
Video Rating: 4 / 5

 
31 Comments

Posted in 3D Videos

 

Bunnies: Gone With The Wind

10 Mar

Frankly my dear, I dont give a bun! The 30-Second Bunnies is a troupe of bunnies parodies, a collection of movies by re-enacting them in 30 seconds, more or less. Watch them all at www.starzbunnies.com 30 Second Bunnies Animated Animation Flash Comedy Series Gone With The Wind Valentine’s Day Romance
Video Rating: 4 / 5

I’m the king of the burrow! The 30-Second Bunnies is a troupe of bunnies parodies, a collection of movies by re-enacting them in 30 seconds, more or less. Watch them all at www.starzbunnies.com 30 Second Bunnies Animated Animation Flash Comedy Series Titanic Valentine’s Day Romance

 
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Posted in Animation Videos

 
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