A Spanish company has developed a new prototype for clean, self-generated energy: bladeless wind turbines. These turbines will generate electricity from the wind by oscillating around their own axes, significantly reducing the drawbacks associated with conventional turbines.
These new generators consist of a lightweight yet rigid hollow structure shaped like an inverted cone, constructed primarily of fiberglass, which allows the mast to vibrate easily. Its performance increases as its height increases, and we would like to present a new prototype of 100 meters.
The idea originated in 2003 when some Spanish engineers drew inspiration from the Tacoma Narrows Bridge disaster, specifically from the von Kármán vortices—the physical phenomenon that caused that bridge to collapse and which engineers and architects strive to avoid at all costs. These vortices create whirlwinds that cause the cone to oscillate, generating energy. However, it is highly unlikely that this structure will collapse due to the materials used in its construction. Furthermore, its weight is concentrated at the bottom, making it a more stable structure.
The disadvantage of this blade-less windmill is that it can produce up to 30% less energy than conventional windmills. However, it has numerous advantages, such as taking up less space because it lacks blades, which will reduce the environmental impactand thenoise pollution, or that it will reduce the number of birds and bats that die after colliding with the blades of current wind turbines. In addition, manufacturing and maintenance costs will be significantly reduced because there are fewer moving parts. It also won’t require oil since it has no gears.
These blade-less windmills would allow cut installation costs in half, which definitely makes them a more efficient method than conventional self-powered electric generators.
