Bladeless Wind Generator

The latest development in wind turbine design isn’t a turbine. In fact, it has no moving parts at all! The simple design – which resembles a giant straw – means that it’s less expensive to manufacture, cheaper to maintain, and should last considerably longer than typical wind turbines.

Called Vortex Bladeless, the new generator utilizes a force known as vorticity. This aerodynamic effect occurs when wind breaks against any solid structure. In fact, architects and engineers try to avoid these forces when designing buildings, bridges and other structures because of the potentially damaging effects (see, for example, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge). But the Vortex Bladeless exploits this phenomenon, using the wind to produce mechanical oscillations that can be converted to electricity by an alternator in the generator base. An integrated system of magnets adjusts on the fly to optimize the movement based on the wind speed.

Although the bladeless generator captures about 30 percent less energy than a typical turbine, the design allows more of them to be installed in a given area. Combined with lower manufacturing and maintenance costs, it is estimated that the new system will cut energy costs by about 4o percent over traditional turbines. In addition, they oscillate at frequencies below 20 Hz, so they produce no audible noise; and they’re much safer for birds.