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Money doesn't grow on trees, but electricity might someday.
Iowa State University scientists have built a device that mimics the branches and leaves of a cottonwood tree and generates electricity when its artificial leaves sway in the wind.
Michael McCloskey, an associate professor of genetics, development and cell biology who led the design of the device, said the concept won't replace wind turbines, but the technology could spawn a niche market for small and visually unobtrusive machines that turn wind into electricity.
"The possible advantages here are aesthetics and its smaller scale, which may allow off-grid energy harvesting," McCloskey said recently in his ISU laboratory. "We set out to answer the question of whether you can get useful amounts of electrical power out of something that looks like a plant. The answer is 'possibly,' but the idea will require further development."
Also at:
techtimes.com
Reference:
Michael A. McCloskey, Curtis L. Mosher, Eric R. Henderson. Wind Energy Conversion by Plant-Inspired Designs PLOS ONE, 2017; 12 (1): e0170022 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0170022
(Score: 3, Interesting) by prospectacle on Thursday February 02 2017, @11:58PM
Small scale solar panels seem to be everywhere. But of course wind is just solar energy by other means, and there's often wind around when the sun is asleep, so does anyone know if we're likely to have household/office level wind in any cost-effective form any time soon?
One recent article suggests these new materials will be better than existing small wind turbines, but doesn't really compare it with photovoltaic or anything else.
https://phys.org/news/2017-01-blades-efficient-small-turbines.html [phys.org]
If a plan isn't flexible it isn't realistic