Wind Powered
Normally I wouldn’t cross-post between BMA and The Running Munckee, but this is a question that deserves some attention and frankly I don’t get enough traffic over there to start any kind of decent discussion.
Great minds think alike. And now they’re thinking green. The following designs are all recent ideas on how to utilize our existing infrastructure to contribute positively toward our energy needs. Yes, a better answer would be to cut back on driving all-together. But convincing Americans to do so would probably take more marketing money than the cost of some of these design ideas. Of course, general consensus seems to be that these designs will never be implemented on a large scale due to cost. So where do we find the balance between green and "green"?
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First off, the big, yellow spaceship fan scares the crap out of me.Luckily I think that in the coming years hybrid vehicles are going to become more prevalent. Automobile manufacturers now know that they are going to sell, so aren’t going to hold back on production because of the risk. The high price of gasoline has also strongly contributed to the popularity of hybrids, and honestly I don’t see fuel prices dropping significantly.There are a lot of interesting ideas about taking advantage of renewable energy sources, for example the pictures from this post, but it will be interesting to see if any of them take hold. I know that a lot of chatter is going on in Arizona about solar energy, and that a number of self-sustaining buildings have been created by converting their roofs into solar panels.For some reason I like that little wind bridge idea, but it would probably scare a lot of people (like how I am scared by aforementioned yellow fan-ship of death). The highway idea could work though.But when it comes to your dichotomy of green vs. "green," I think things are going to have to get pretty obviously desperate for people to finally be willing to sacrifice their added comfort for conservation.
Oddly enough the Thinking Blog had a post today about wind power on the Bahrain World Trade Center.<blockquote cite="Through its positioning and the unique aerodynamic
design of the towers, the prevailing on-shore Gulf breeze is funneled
into the path of the turbines, helping to create power generation
efficiency. Once operational, the wind turbines will deliver
approximately 11-15 per cent of the BWTC’s energy needs, eliminating
around 55,000 kilos of carbon from being emitted into the air annually.
Incorporating the wind turbines as an alternative source of energy for
the buildings will generate 1100 to 1300 MWh per year, which is
equivalent to lighting 300 homes for more than a year and will create
substantial annual savings.">
Interesting stuff Kevin, thanks for sharing. I’ve read about the BWTC, although I hadn’t realized exactly what building it was. In case you hadn’t realized, clicking on each image I posted will lead to an article about that idea.In general, I agree with you. We’re going to have to get desperate before things really change. Which is a shame. I don’t see us cutting down on driving any time soon, but if we could utilize something like one of these systems to at least generate some sort of return on our wasteful driving habits, it could make for a reasonable head-start on the issue.Also, the "yellow spaceship of doom" is really the simplest of these designs. It’s just a wind-powered light for a residential yard. I don’t know if the scale of the object was obvious in the picture. Maybe that makes it a little less scary?
Phwew, that’s a relief. Yeah, it was the scale thing. I though it was some huge death fan. Good to know. Now that I know what it is I like the idea.
We’ve been following the wind power possibilities & talking about it on our blog. Here are 3 links to some of our recent posts about it…feel free to jump in anytime.http://www.alternativeconsumer.com/2007/04/26/aerotecture-international-urban-wind-power/Quite Revolution is a multi-directional wind turbine, which uses less energy because it doesn’t have to turn to face the wind:
http://www.alternativeconsumer.com/2007/02/27/quietrevolution-small-wind-power-generation/
Skystream info is here:http://www.alternativeconsumer.com/2007/02/17/skystream-37-windpower-turbine/Ultimately, wind power is just one small component of the alternative energy picture….unfortunately, it will probably never be a "Major Player for us in the US."Maureen
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