#wind powered

Check out the video at the link below. It’s of a kinetic art piece “Strandbeest” - by Dutch Theo Jansen. The creation is 59 feet long and scuttles across a beach using the power of the wind. It looks alive and magical. Recommend sound on (no narration, just the sound of the shore).

From Justacarguy:

Humans have a very long history of harnessing wind energy. One of the earliest mentions of a windmill was in 644 AD, and we have been using them ever since.

Image link 1, Image 2

Wind is one of the easiest energy types for communities to diy, making it an essential power source for many places around the world that don't have grid-access.

As technology improves, designs are changing too, but current wind turbines are not without flaws. 1.17 million birds are killed by turbines every year, and while that is far less of a problem in comparison to house cats killing birds (2.5 billion), any amount is too much, so people are working toward solutions. Some are installing sensors that turn off the turbines when birds are approaching, while others are hoping to change the design completely.

The tech might change over time, but it looks like wind power is here to stay.

Here are some of the designs people are looking into:

Rooftop Wind and Solar

Designed for medium to high-rise buildings, the PowerNEST provides both solar and wind energy. The solar panels are raised up on a stand, and the wind turbines are under the stand.

Roadside Wind Turbines

Traffic can create a surprising level of wind, and these turbines are designed to try and capture that.

Some (like Alpha 311) are designed to save money by attaching to pre-existing lamp posts, others are stand-alone units that are often accompanied by solar.

Home-Friendly Designs:

Flower Turbines creates "Wind Tulips," which are bird-friendly, space-saving, silent, and efficient additions to homes and landscapes that are designed to be more attractive for people. They have several colors to choose from.

Bladeless Turbines

These often weird-looking designs wiggle or bend instead of spin.

Cargo ships are among the worst polluters. A new wind-powered concept could transform the industry.

Oceanbird is a wind-powered cargo ship concept, expected to cut emissions by 90%. The ship uses 80-meter-tall rigs instead of traditional sails and can cross the Atlantic Ocean in twelve days. The concept is one of The Index Project nominees for Index Award 2021 – a prize for innovative design solutions that address genuine needs and hold the potential to improve life. Read more… More about…

Theo Jansen’s